Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology, Research Paper Example

What are the benefits of automation in health care and how does this technology impact quality?

Technological advancements have enabled professionals in the health care field to automate and streamline processes for more efficiency of operations. This has improved the quality of health care adminstration and has resulted in better patient outcomes. Some of the benefits of automation in health care include reducing errors, improving provider education, information sharing, and building capacity. These benefits are instrumental in improving patient safety. Automation tools include electronic medical records systems, electronic prescribin applications, simulation models for education and training, digital eye technology, error alert mechanisms, and automated communication tools (Ortiz & Clancy, 2003, p. 14). In addition, health care automation, particularly health information technology, improves efficienty, quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of medical care delivery. The most significant benefit is the use of automated decision making tools to reduce medical errors by linking and apply knowledge and information in clinical practice. As automation improves efficiency, it also improves a health organization’s financial position (Shekelle, Morton, & Keller, 2006). Cutting costs and increasing efficiency are key components to a health care organization’s financial success. Additionally, using automation in health care to control systems and information is an excellent addition to the organization’s performance improvement strategy. Therefore, spending on automation in health care is a good investment for health care organizations, as it facilitates higher quality from that organization, which in turn draws more business to the organization. People migrate where the best care is given, as people are more health-conscious today, and they are more savvy and know their options due to access to health care information online.

References

Ortiz, E., & Clancy, C. M. (2003, April). Use of Information Technology to Improve the Quality of Health Care in the United States. Health Services Research, 38(2), 11-22.

Shekelle, P., Morton, S. C., & Keller, E. B. (2006, April). Costs and Benefits of Health Information Technology. Retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK37992/