Health Information Technology is a term that is often used interchangeably with “electronic medical records”. It is a system where medical professionals store the information usually contained in a patient chart on a computer, rather than on paper.
How Can Health Information Technology Be Used?
Health Information Technology, or Health IT, can be used to improve the efficiency and quality of health care that patients receive. Many people have health conditions that require them to visit several different doctors. For example, I have a primary care physician, and also regularly visit an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist for my sinus and allergy concerns. With Health IT, both of my doctors would have access to my complete treatment chart, so each could see what the other was doing and would not duplicate their efforts. The chances of one doctor prescribing a drug that would interact unfavorably with a drug that the other prescribed would be virtually nil. And if I were to get in an accident and end up in an emergency room, the hospital would also be able to access my medical records, so they could treat me more rapidly and effectively.
Because Health IT would be a national database system that is interlinked and regularly backed up, patient records would be safe even in the face of natural disasters like Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Many crucial medical records were lost in these terrible storms because they were kept on paper that was destroyed in the flooding. Also, people who become ill while traveling would not have to suffer because the hospital in Honolulu cannot reach their primary care physician in Tuscaloosa. Their patient records would be available and instantly transmittable electronically.
Health insurance information could also be linked to Health IT records. Imagine walking into a doctor’s office and not having to fill out 17 gazillion insurance forms. With a swipe of a card, your medical records and health insurance information would be instantly transmitted to the provider. This would make your life easier, and it would help your doctor’s administrative staff – they would immediately know which procedures your insurance policy covers and what your copay would be.
Health IT also has great potential to reduce health care costs. A recent study by the Rand Institute estimates that if 90% of all health care providers adopted Health IT, potential savings could average over $77 billion per year. An effective Health IT system would cut costs by reducing the duration of hospital stays, the amount of time that nurses spend performing administrative tasks, and drug and radiology usage.
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