The HITECH Act- Impact on EHR Design and Use BHA FPX 4006 Computer-Based Patient Record Institute (CPRI) and EHRs’ Conceptualization
.
The HITECH Act- Impact on EHR Design and Use
When it comes to the design, the HITECH Act ensures that EHR’s basic structure (architecture) complies with the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules. The other basic consideration is safeguards to uphold privacy and confidentiality of patient information maximally. On the use of EHRs, the HITECH Act advanced the HIPAA Act that gave patients the right to their health information by obliging healthcare providers to give patients EHRs’ copies and share them with other providers appropriately (Onyejekwe et al., 2019). The HITECH Act also regulated use and disclosure by third-party associates by requiring patient consent when using electronic health information for non-health purpose. Patients can also revoke previously given powers.
Benefits of the HITECH Act
The benefits of the HITECH Act in healthcare delivery are profound. Considering the implications of data loss and misuse, the HITECT Act introduced comprehensive cybersecurity protections to secure data. The Act also requires patients to consent when their data is being used or accessed by third parties, making it more secure. Generally, transitioning to electronic health records from paperwork is a great step towards quality healthcare which is further improved by enabling data sharing and protection. Giving patients the right to access information also ensures that they are centrally involved in health management. Importantly, incentives under the HITECH Act encourage EHRs’ use, a significant step towards healthcare evolution.
The HITECH Act: Challenges
Despite its role in enhancing security, the HITECH Act is associated with several challenges at implementation and user levels. One of the leading challenges is the cumbersome transition from paper to electronic files associated with HIPAA and HITECH compliance (Onyejekwe et al., 2019). Electronic health records also require frequent and costly updates. Other cost implications at the organizational level include IT training of healthcare professionals to ensure that they have appropriate skills and knowledge to handle EHRs and remain compliant. As healthcare continues being more data-reliant, the threat of data breaches increases proportionately. Such problems are further associated with professionals’ concerns over liability since healthcare professionals are responsible for misconduct related to data use and safety.
Promoting Interoperability
For electronic health records to be used in full potential, they must be designed in a way that enables information exchange conveniently, accurately, and securely. According to Shull (2019), EHR’s interoperability represents the architecture, features, or standards that facilitate convenient information exchange between providers (Li et al., 2021). Interoperable EHR systems are defined by features that enable more output and convenience in use such as better workflows and reduced ambiguity. Such functions imply that different users can connect and share data without many hindrances. Overall, the quality of care improves since the right data is available when needed for use by different healthcare professionals.
Security Measures
Various security measures can be used to ensure that EHRs and associated systems function appropriately and do not risk patient data. One of the effective security measures under the key HIPAA recommendations is creating access controls. Main tools include passwords and PIN numbers, limiting access to a patient’s electronic protected health information (ePHI). The other appropriate measure is ePHI’s encryption to make it unreadable and difficult to understand unless accessed by the authorized person with a decryption key. An electronic audit trail function also effectively secures EHRs. The trail determines who accessed ePHI without proper authorization. Records accessed and changes made are also trailed.
Proactive interventions are also recommended to secure EHRs. A suitable measure under this category is conducting a security risk analysis. In information systems, a security risk analysis denotes the systematic examination the processes and architecture to identify potential security weaknesses and flaws (Wanyonyi et al., 2017). Other reliable measures include firewall and data backup. A firewall monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic as the gate between the EHR and the internet. Securing EHRs through a firewall implies that only trusted internal networks are allowed entry. Data backup is among the straightforward and universally applied security measure. It allows data retrieval in case of data loss since the data is copied and archived.