Information Governance in Healthcare
The electronic health record system (HER) is one of the adopted health information technology. The core attention of the system is to improve the quality of services and to obtain efficiency in healthcare. Most of the healthcare industry adopts and implements the new technology such as the data collection and information and its strategies, advantages, and optimization. In 2014, AHIMA conducted a study that most of the healthcare organizations are beginners in terms of information tools in business knowledge and analysis. These organizations utilize and manage the information gathered for years and they considered the information as the competency and viability in the transformation of healthcare. In addition, the information governance has the unique strategy that perfectly ensemble with the objectives of the organization and its achievements. Above all, the organization strongly recognizes the success of the implemented information as the valuable asset in the entire duration of the information lifecycle. In fact, the information governance has two main purposes, the stewardship of information and advantage of the information. The stewardship of information aims to support the compliance and risk management while the advantage of information focuses on the achievement of the organization’s objectives.
Generally, AHIMA defined the information governance as the enterprise-wide framework that manage the information through its entire lifecycle and supports the organization in terms of its strategy, operations, regulations, legal issues, and requirements both in risk and environmental issues. Additionally, as stated in the Preamble, that the information governance is complete, current, and accurate information utilized in any organization in the healthcare industry and it achieves its objectives effectively. Any organizations that adopt the information governance program has the strong commitment in the management as a valuable asset. Clinically and operationally, the information governance focuses on the improvements of quality care and the safety of the patients, the improvements on the population health, development of the efficiency and effectiveness of the operations. In addition, the reductions of costs and risks through proper management, and control of information through relevant activities with full compliance of the necessary duties and responsibilities. It only demonstrates that the information governance establishes the much-needed policies, it prioritizes the values, investments, and protection of the entire assets that identifies the responsibilities in the management level of the organization by providing the necessary healthcare services. Moreover, it promotes the relevant objectives in the different processes applied individually, organizationally, and politically. Thus, the information governance protects the integrity of the organization with suitable management.
Through the information governance principles, the organizations conduct the operations effectively and the management ensures the appropriate compliance of the legal requirements, duties, and responsibilities needed. The information governance has its relevance in both the data information management and the health management staff. Specifically, the perspective about ‘trust’ has a significant role in the healthcare services delivered by the professionals. As a result, most patients entrust their personal information to the healthcare organizations. Through the unique relationship between the organization and the client, it creates diverse requirements for the privacy, confidentiality, and security of the information. It shows that the organizations with their different roles in the healthcare as professionals have earned the trust and confidence of the clients or patients and the society as a whole. The strong commitment of the organizations reflects their characteristics ethically and how they handle the personal information entrusted in the organization responsively.
In the public and private sectors, especially in the employment of health informatics and health information management, the current employment reached approximately 39, 900 individuals. The combination of the demand and replacement growth can generate high hiring requirements particularly in the information technology and health information management. On the other hand, there are three scenarios for investment in the e-health technology such as the low investment, the moderate investment, and the high investment, respectively. In the low investment scenario, the net e-health investment is low and the hiring requirements are driven by replacement demand than the increase in the health informatics and information management employments. In the moderate investment level, the employments in the professional roles focus on the implementation while the employment on the operation, support, and optimization increases. Last, in the high investment level, the government both in the federal or provincial announce current investment plans that lead to the increase in investment activities.
A successful response in several issues on the health information management is the good information. Evidently, the resources and leadership among the professionals in the healthcare are significant to promote quality healthcare services for the clients or public. One of the WHO’s focal responsibilities is to assure the public the availability and dissemination of the best achievable health information. All the members of the states, partnerships, and donors are expecting that the WHO will constantly lead the continuous actions and to address any issues that may occur during the processes. Accordingly, the health information system consists of the collection, analysis, dissemination, and stores of the health-related data from the sources (primary and secondary) and derivation of information products. It implies that the system transforms the raw data into functional information to promote and support the health industry in their decision-making.
Most importantly, the health organization should establish the sole source of accuracy and transparency through information architectural framework in the databases and networks and a well-determined source that represents the primary objectives of the industry. In the article entitled “Information Governance Offers a Strategic Approach for Healthcare,” the most useful information is about the information governance program. The program that are designed to ensure relevant information and investments to support the organization’s objectives. However, lack of strong information in the governance program can create some serious outcomes to the health organization. Moreover, the legal reasons highlight the importance of the information governance in health care. These are (1) the risk of privacy and security; (2) the need for the massive update of systems including the processes and training to support its implementation; and (3) the workflows and information that qualifies for the verification of the incentive program, payment models, and legality supported by law.
Functionally, the healthcare organizations need the information governance programs that provide the compliance, effectiveness, standards, and assessments in the different areas such as clinical research or public reporting, population health, regulatory compliance, business and financial performance, and quality and cost effectiveness. Thus, the proper management on the different challenges in the healthcare can help handle several issues, especially when every approach is under the guidance of the effective and unique information governance framework in healthcare.
Works Cited
AHIMA. "Information Governance Offers a Strategic Approach for Healthcare." Journal of
AHIMA 85.10 (2014): 70-75. Web. 16 June 2015. <http://library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/ahima/bok1_050768.hcsp?dDocName=bok1_050768>.
American Health Information Management Association. Information Governance Principles for
Healthcare (IGPHC). Chicago, IL, 2014. Web. 16 June 2015. <http://www.ahima.org/~/media/AHIMA/Files/HIM-Trends/IG_Principles.ashx>.
Human Resources Outlook. Health Informatics and Health Information Management. June 2013.
Web. 16 June 2015. <http://itac.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/J14-3447_HR_Report_WEB2.pdf>.
World Health Organization. About Us: World Health Organization. 2015. 16 June 2015
<http://www.who.int/hac/techguidance/tools/manuals/who_field_handbook/5/en/>.
