America Speech-Language-Hearing Association, GCSE Coursework Example

How do you see standardized health information exchangesImpacting healthcare delivery and reimbursement of care in the future?

Standardized health information exchange practicesare crucial to health care delivery and care reimbursement mechanisms. Consequently, they impact delivery systems immensely. For example, in United States of America standardized health information exchanges mean adapting specific strategies in mobilizing healthcare data. This is accomplished by utilizingcompatible electronic recording systems among organizations, regionally or within a community hospital setting. In isolation the terminology standardized health information exchange (SHIE) can also relate to information technological strategies vendors adopt in facilitating the exchange process (Hagland, 2009).

This obviously is costly, initially, because if the exchange is occurring across a large network of health care institutions all these institutions will have to install related software. Some vendors to reduce installation/ implementation costs do not obtain software that adequately conduct these exchanges according to standardization protocol. Some adopt short-cuts, which appear to be standardized, but are not in reality up to protocol regulations. Ultimately, In the future health care costs will increase if these features are implemented and altered overtime (McCann, 2012).

When honest standardization attempts are achieved, still exchange disruptions occur due to many installation/implementation and vendor irregularities. For example HIPPA has established regulations regarding exchange of patients’ private/ confidential information. The extent to which this functions in relation to health care delivery and care reimbursement mechanisms  vendors t are mandated o install soft/hard ware that possess certain privacy features. They are expected to facilitate secure exchanges (McCann, 2012).

Specific difficulties occurring in this standardization exchange process relate to language and codes built into databases responsible transferring data related to decisions and reimbursements. For standardization to be validvendors must ensure that the system works efficiently for easy information access. If codes are not compatible, accessing information would be difficult, especially, when changes regarding reimbursements’ codes occur. Also, along with overloading accessing patient data through the exchange could take an enormous amount of time(America Speech-language-hearing Association, 2014).

For example, clinical decision making systems require retrieving extensive data for authenticity. In an overloaded (HIE) it is very difficult to obtain this exchanges within less than a day. In the near future it may take weeks if alternative standardization measures are not adopted. Ultimately, health care workers become frustrated and health care delivery is compromised through inappropriate clinical decision making(McCann, 2012).

Overtime HIPPA modifies standardization of (HIE) rules regarding reimbursements sinceeach phase of the process when implemented affects health care delivery along with reimbursements to providers. For example, HIPP most recent standardization rule allowed providers to can submit claims directly to third party insurers if their software systems they had upgraded their software according to EDI providers and hospitals where the resources were unavailable to have software reform then a backlog of payment would occur. If providers cannot be paid, ultimately health care delivery is compromised(America Speech-language-hearing Association, 2014).

Therefore,standardized health information exchanges impact on healthcare delivery and  care reimbursement in the future are diverse beginning with the huge costs to providers and ultimately patients’/clients. These costs relate to software compatibility compliance, upgrade and maintenance of the system. While providers have testified that with assistance from Affordable care Act Regulations HIE standardization has become less costly, but with information overload requiring expansion  system, the future HIE appears to be a very costly venture with immense reimbursement difficulties and reduction in health care delivery quality.

References

America Speech-language-hearingAssociation (2014).HIPAA: Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) Rule. Retrieved on November 11^th, 2014 from http://www.asha.org/practice/reimbursement/hipaa/hipaa_edi_faq/

Hagland, M. (2009). Transformative Quality: The Emerging Revolution in Health Care Performance. New York. Productivity Press/Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

McCann, E. (2012).New HHS rule targets HIPAA, standardization the goal. Health information technology News.