Health information technology

Health Information Technology (HIT) refers to the comprehensive management of health information across computerized systems and its secure exchange between consumers, providers, government and quality entities, and insurers. Health Information Technology (HIT) involves the application of information processing involving both computer hardware and software that deals with the storage, retrieval, sharing, and use of health care information, data, and knowledge for communication and decision making.

Overview

Health Information Technology is integrated into health care systems to improve the quality of care, prevent medical errors, reduce health care costs, increase administrative efficiencies, decrease paperwork, and expand access to affordable health care. It is an essential element for health care quality, safety, and service delivery.

Components

Health Information Technology includes a wide range of products such as Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE), Electronic Prescribing (e-Prescribing), and Health Information Exchange (HIE).

Electronic Health Records

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are real-time, patient-centered records that make information available instantly and securely to authorized users. EHRs typically contain a patient’s medical history, diagnoses, medications, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images, and laboratory and test results.

Computerized Physician Order Entry

Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) is a process of electronic entry of medical practitioner instructions for the treatment of patients under his or her care.

Electronic Prescribing

Electronic Prescribing (e-Prescribing) is a technology framework that allows physicians and other medical practitioners to write and send prescriptions to a participating pharmacy electronically instead of using handwritten or faxed notes or calling in prescriptions.

Health Information Exchange

Health Information Exchange (HIE) allows doctors, nurses, pharmacists, other health care providers and patients to appropriately access and securely share a patient’s vital medical information electronically.

Benefits

Health Information Technology has several benefits such as improving health care quality or effectiveness, increasing health care productivity or efficiency, preventing medical errors and increasing health care accuracy and procedural correctness, reducing health care costs, increasing administrative efficiencies and healthcare service convenience, decreasing paperwork and unproductive or idle work time, expanding health care access.

See Also

• Electronic Medical Records
• Health Informatics
• Telemedicine
• Telehealth

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