Health Data in the Information Age, Research Paper Example

Transparency in healthcare has persisted to be an issue of concern for decades (Donaldson, Lohr & Bulger, 2004).  The price paid to access health care services is one of the most important aspects in this regard and its disclosure has been a contested topic in discussion in the state legislatures as a means of containing the costs associated with healthcare delivery. The quality of health care is also an equally important issue of consideration that requires transparency regardless of the level of spending. People need to be supplied with informative and accurate measures that will ensure that quality aspect is achieved in health care delivery. With the increased level of technological advancement however, a lot of progress has been achieved in exposing prices and quality of health care in the institutions that are mandated to deliver these services (Kane & Sands, 2008).

Health care databases introduction therefore has led to significant progress in reporting outcomes in this sector. The development of innovative technology has facilitated for the achievement of the promise of integration that transparency can offer (Mazoué, 2001).  The ongoing duty of vendors has involved development of network connectivity, security as well as integration (Lagasse, 2006).  The health care databases allow all industries in health care to work in a intimately interlaced network.

With the use of health care databases, it is possible to run a number of transactional systems in the entire industry through creation of a huge array of transactional applications which can be accessed by the public as well. health care databases  has made it possible to run the EHRs, the lab systems, financial systems, systems of patient satisfaction and feedback, the patient identification, the ADT tracking, administration, billing along with payment processing, research, the HR, and education (Goodman, 2006).  The knowledge that all public can access all vital information through health care databases increases the chances of transparency in this sector.

References

Donaldson, S., Lohr, N., & Bulger, J., (2004). Health Data in the Information Age: Use, Disclosure, and Privacy—part 1, JAMA, 271(17):1308.

Goodman, K. (2006). “Outcomes, Confidentiality, and Appropriate Use,” Crit Care Clin., 12 (1):109-122.

Kane, B., & Sands, Z. (2008). “Guidelines for the Clinical Use of Electronic Mail with Patients,” J Am Med Inform. Assoc., 5:104-111.

Lagasse, R.S. (2006). Monitoring and Analysis of Outcome Studies, Int Anesthesiol Clin., 34(3):263-277.

Mazoué, G. (2001). Diagnosis without Doctors, J Med Philos., 15:559-579.