Examining Individual Transition from Healthcare to Information Technology Roles Using the Theory of Planned Behavior.

Many health information management (HIM) positions, including coders and transcriptionists, are evolving due to the widespread adoption of electronic health records (EHR) and other automated entry systems. Thus, focus for roles associated with those positions are changing and new positions to manage and manipulate the data collected in the new systems. This study seeks to identify which factors influence HIM professionals' decision to transition from a traditional HIM role to an information technology (IT) position. An online survey was sent to these individuals to determine which factors influenced their decision to consider a transition from healthcare roles to information technology using the theory of planned behavior. In other words, this study explored whether these individuals were influenced by attitudes, normative beliefs, and self-efficacy to consider transitioning from healthcare roles to information technology positions. In order to better understand whether education played a role in this behavior, an additional element, education efficacy was added. The findings revealed that these health information management professionals are not considering a transition from healthcare positions to IT roles.

Health Information Management Reimagined: Assessing Current Professional Skills and Industry Demand.

This paper examines the changes affecting the health information management (HIM) professional skill set and industry demand to determine differences affecting practitioners. As the industry continues to experience technological innovation, the responsibilities of the HIM professional are in flux, affecting the required skill set of the changing environment. This research used the American Health Information Management Association salary survey and current job postings to determine whether the workforce has experienced deskilling and whether a theory-practice-gap exists. It also assesses if industry competencies align with the Health Information Management Reimaged perspectives. The results indicate that the workforce has not experienced deskilling, that a theory-practice gap does exist, and that Health Information Management Reimaged is aligned with industry needs.

Implementing EHRs: An Exploratory Study to Examine Current Practices in Migrating Physician Practice.

Implementation of electronic health record (EHR) systems in physician practices is challenging and complex. In the past, physicians had little incentive to move from paper-based records. With the passage of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act in 2009, Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments are now available for physicians who implement EHRs for meaningful use. The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) has ample detail on clinical data needed for meaningful use in order to assess the quality of patient care. Details are lacking, however, on how much clinical data, if any, should be transferred from the old paper records during an EHR implementation project. The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate and document the elements of longitudinal clinical data that are essential for inclusion in the EHR of physicians in a clinical practice setting, as reported by the office managers of the physicians in the study group.

Organizational factors influencing health information technology adoption in long-term-care facilities.

Long-term care (LTC) is an important sector of the health care industry. However, the adoption of health information technology (HIT) systems in LTC facilities lags behind that in other sectors of health care. Previous literature has focused on the financial and technical barriers. This study examined the organizational factors associated with HIT adoption in LTC facilities. A survey of 500 LTC facilities in Texas enabled researchers to compile HIT indexes for further statistical analyses. A general linear model was used to study the associations between the clinical/administrative HIT indexes and organizational factors. The empirical outcomes show that the size of an LTC facility has a significant association with HIT adoption. Rural LTC facilities, especially freestanding ones, adopt less HIT than their urban counterparts, whereas freestanding LTC facilities have the lowest HIT adoption overall. There is not enough evidence to support ownership status as a significant factor in HIT adoption. Some implications are proposed, but further research is necessary.

Lessons learned from an ICD-10-CM clinical documentation pilot study.

On October 1, 2013, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) will be mandated for use in the United States in place of the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM). This new classification system will used throughout the nation's healthcare system for recording diagnoses or the reasons for treatment or care. A pilot study was conducted to determine whether current levels of inpatient clinical documentation provide the detail necessary to fully utilize the ICD-10-CM classification system for heart disease, pneumonia, and diabetes cases. The design of this pilot study was cross-sectional. Four hundred ninety-one de-identified records from two sources were coded using ICD-10-CM guidelines and codebooks. The findings of this study indicate that healthcare organizations need to assess clinical documentation and identify gaps. In addition, coder proficiency should be assessed prior to ICD-10-CM implementation to determine the need for further education and training in the biomedical sciences, along with training in the new classification system.

Exploring medical identity theft.

The crime of medical identity theft is a growing concern in healthcare institutions. A mixed-method study design including a two-stage electronic survey, telephone survey follow-up, and on-site observations was used to evaluate current practices in admitting and registration departments to reduce the occurrence of medical identity theft. Survey participants were chief compliance officers in acute healthcare organizations and members of the Health Care Compliance Association. Study results indicate variance in whether or how patient identity is confirmed in healthcare settings. The findings of this study suggest that information systems need to be designed for more efficient identity management. Admitting and registration staff must be trained, and compliance with medical identity theft policies and procedures must be monitored. Finally, biometric identity management solutions should be considered for stronger patient identification verification.

Reducing medical errors through better documentation.

Preventable medical errors occur with alarming frequency in US hospitals. Questions to address include what is a medical error, what errors occur most often, and what solutions can health information technologies offer with better documentation. Preventable injuries caused by mismanagement of treatment happen in all areas of care. Some result from human fallibility and some from system failures. Most errors stem from a combination of the two. Examples of combination errors include wrong-site surgeries, scrambled laboratory results, medication mishaps, misidentification of patients, and equipment failures. Unavailable patient information and illegible handwriting lead to diagnosing and ordering errors. Recent technology offers viable solutions to many of these medical errors. Computer-based medical records, integration with the pharmacy, decision support software, Computerized Physician Order Entry Systems, and bar coding all offer ways to avoid tragic treatment outcomes. Persuading and training hospital staff to use the technology poses a problem, as does budgeting for the new equipment. However, the technology would prove its worth in time. The Institute of Medicine and coalition groups such as Leapfrog Group have recognized the problem that permeates the health care industry, manifests in many ways, and requires the many solutions that information technology offer.