Why is healthcare/clinical experience more important for healthcare CIOs today than in past years?
The role of Chief Information Officer (CIO) in healthcare industry has changed significantly and quickly. Currently, Information Technology in healthcare is not only providing primarily function but also involved in strategy and business operations. As a result, CIOs has greater responsibility for healthcare outcomes and operational efficiency (McGrath, 2010).The healthcare CIO has to deal with many areas such as competitiveness and patient safety where they were never involved before. In addition, CIOs have to convince senior management about the benefits of new operations, quality of care, patient safety, improved accountability and simplicity, cost-effectiveness. All these responsibilities can be fulfilled after collecting and analysing large amount of data to produce meaningful reporting. CIOs have been drawn very deeply into areas such as performance improvement, patient safety, and quality of care. The CIO must understand organizational, financial issues, strategic and all other issues faced by executive team members. Therefore, they need more experience than before (McGrath, 2010).
What factors can increase the size and complexity of the information systems structure? Which of these do you consider to be the most important and why?
There are four factors which involves in information system those are people, process, data and technology. The most important factors of the information systems in healthcare technology are people and technology (Healthcare System Complexities, NCBI Bookshelf, n.d.). As research shows implementation of information technology is very expensive in healthcare systems because there is extensive skills and training required to use technology and information systems. There are many other issues related to this such as privacy, security and integrity of information. All these challenges need to be addressed to make a successful information system(Blackwell, 2008).
Why is system integration such an important topic in healthcare information technology?
System Integration is a combined implementation of responsibilities within a system. System integration issue needs to be given top priority because it is the base of a health care unit. To provide better care healthcare professionals need up to date information about the patient they are dealing with. There are different departments are involved such as imaging, pharmacies and ambulatory services. Therefore, information coming from different departments need to be integrated (Blackwell, 2008). In healthcare organizations, there is need for all health care providers to communicate to each other and can share all information required to provide good quality care. System integration includes high-quality communication between doctors, technicians and other health care professionals. It also includes the communication across the organization such as the partnership between clinicians and management. There are some standards according to which health care organisations can communicate with each other these standards are provided by the certification commission for health care information technology (CCHIT)(Glandon et.al,2008).
References
Blackwell, G. (2008). The future of IT in healthcare. Informatics for Health & Social Care, 33, 211-326.
Glandon, G.L., Smaltz, D.H., & Slovensky, D.J. (2008). Austin and Boxerman's Information Systems.Chicago,IL: Health administration press.
McGrath, N.(2010,Oct 18).Under pressure: The changing role of the healthcare CIO. Retrieved from http://www.eiu.com/site_info.asp?info_name=healthcarecio_nec&page=noads
