AskTheExperts

What do you recommend to organizations that want to implement EHRs, but have concerns with data security?

EHRs can have a dramatic impact on improving patient safety, continuity of patient care and improving efficiencies in healthcare operations. However, the adoption rate for EHRs is slow; one of the leading reasons is the fear that patient information, including medical data, is suspect to technical security breaches.

Organizations should be very concerned with the implementation of new EHR systems and potential for security breaches. However, the concern should be for all systems and not just EHRs. During the selection process of an EHR, Healthcare organizations should review the security features of the proposed software, and determine if it meets the processes they have already implemented to comply with the HIPAA Privacy and Security regulations. Healthcare organizations can also discuss the data security functionality with organizations that already implemented the product.  Most EHR vendors are marketing other software products that are fully integrated with the EHR. Chances are if the EHR has minimal security features, then so do the rest of the software products.

Before we're faced with a "slash and burn" reduction, what can we do now to right the ship?

"The mean streets of re-engineering" was a banner headline in the mid-to late 1990's in a variety of health care journals. That was after total quality management didn't quite work for many facilities, and before everyone jumped into satisfaction surveys for patients, employees, and medical staffs. As we begin to walk-the-walk for service excellence, we need to be sure that we’re focused on the right services done in the right setting by the right providers with the right outcome. This is not a Chinese menu that you can simply pick and choose from.  It is a required re-focusing of hospital or group practice administration on operations. Now. Daily flash reports, productivity tools and measurements, gain-sharing financial results reporting down to the staff level, transparency in the c-suite, balanced scorecards, public quality reporting, and the list goes on. At a time when potential employees, particularly hard to find licensed professionals, can chose to work for you or not; physicians can provide services in a traditional hospital setting, or create their own ambulatory setting; and payers can select your facility based upon network needs, cost, quality outcomes, you’re correct to be concerned about this question.