Graded Homework

week 1

• In this first thread, we will explore the healthcare system in the United States (US). As you will learn by reading chapter 11 in Sayles’ textbook, healthcare services have evolved over the years and the US has become one of the world leaders in healthcare technologies. Yet, we face various challenges in terms of access, cost, and quality. Learning about healthcare system in general is important for a health information professional for many reasons:
  

  1. We work in healthcare, so we need to know our work environment and adapt accordingly;
  2. Many HIT and coding practices vary depending on the type of healthcare setting;
  3. Learning about the healthcare system helps you understand the big picture and the impact of health information technology in patient care;
  4. General knowledge about healthcare systems along with HIT or coding specialization prepares you to move up the ladder and advance your career.

  In starting this topic, identify and elaborate on some of the healthcare challenges. In your responses, reflect on your textbook readings as well as any other literature and your experiences.

This topic is dedicated to discussing the role of health information professionals, medical coders, and billers. What do you know about these professions? What education is required to work in these professions? What certifications or credentials are required or preferred? What job skills are required to accommodate the shift towards greater automation and the electronic medical record environment?

week 2

• United States healthcare delivery is affected by multiple forces, including legislation (particularly, healthcare-related laws), technology, medical and biological advances, and professional associations. In this topic, we will discuss some of these forces and their impact on healthcare delivery. In starting this topic, select one healthcare law presented in your resources; discuss when it came into effect and what it is about; and its impact in healthcare then and today.

In your response, demonstrate understanding of Sayles’ Chapter 11, pages 651-660. Use the Flash Timeline tool available in the lecture, and any other resources as needed.

Hospitals are one of the major healthcare delivery settings. In this topic, explain the definition of a hospital; discuss various types of hospitals based on size, services provided, or ownership; and discuss the evolution of hospitals in the U.S. over the years. In your response, refer to Sayles Chapter 11, pages 671-673.

week 3

After studying Sayles chapter 2, discuss primary and secondary purposes of the health record and the importance of health information. Why is there an investment in health information and the health information profession? What is the value of health information? Why did the Federal Government invest millions of dollars in Health Information Technology as part of the HITECH Act of 2009?

Discuss functions of the health record. Connect functions of the health records to the quality of data and information in the health record. How do these functions support the purpose of health records?

week 4

General Hospital has determined that within three years, it will replace the nurses’ paper documentation with an electronic system. Nurses will use the new system to document progress notes on the patient, vital signs, and any other nursing care activities. The new system needs to communicate with the patient registration, admission, discharge, and transfer system (R-ADT) as well as support the clinical decision support system (CDSS). General Hospital is in the process of creating a committee in order to start the process of analysis and defining the requirements of the system. The committee will follow the process of the systems development life cycle (SDLC). You have been appointed to this committee and before giving your contribution to this project, need to understand and explain the information systems and the Systems Development Life Cycle. Describe different types of systems being discussed and explain the category they fit in (operations support, enterprise-wide, or management support information system). Identify the SDLC phases and provide a thorough description of each phase, including basic activities that occur in each phase.

After studying Sayles, pages 879-887, explain what is a database and what is it used for? What is the difference between relational databases, object-oriented databases, and object-relational databases? What are the basic functions of a database? Give an example of a database and tell us if it is a relational, object-oriented, or object-relational database.

Describe and discuss the four basic categories of information systems applications used in healthcare, clinical information systems, administrative information systems, management support systems, research, and data analytics systems. In your response, refer to Sayles, pages 910-926.

Read and discuss the Real-World Case adapted from the presentation “In Search of eHIM: A Case Study of Transformation to a Centralized HIM Record Archival and EDMS Processing Center in Multihospital Network” at AHIMA’s 79th National Convention, as shared in Sayles, page 941.

week 6

Have the principles of ethical practice been a cornerstone for the HIT profession? How or how not?

• Compare and contrast privacy, confidentiality, and security as addressed by HIPAA. Illustrate with examples.

week 7

Explain performance improvement in healthcare and how it supports licensure, accreditation, and certification of healthcare organizations.

In preparation for the final exam in week 8, review prior content related to health information, healthcare delivery in the United States, and healthcare information systems.

Objectives

Apply knowledge gained pertaining to healthcare services in the United States, users of health information, information systems, and their use in healthcare.

Guidelines

For the Course Project, you are asked to research a healthcare organization along with an information system used at this facility. Your report should identify the type of healthcare setting, identify services offered, identify users of health information and their needs, discuss how user needs are met, and describe a system used in this facility and key system components and their functions. Application of knowledge attained in this class will support your ability to critically analyze your findings, to assess the strengths and weaknesses of this organization’s health information system, and provide recommendations for improvement as may be appropriate to the situation. This project is valued at 180 points (18% of your grade).

Examples of the types of healthcare organization that may be appropriate subjects for this type of project include hospitals, hospital systems, integrated healthcare systems, multispecialty medical clinics, physician group practice offices, ambulatory surgical centers, mental health service providers, public health clinics, rehabilitation or long-term care facilities, insurance companies, pharmacies, Urgent care clinics, etc. The organization chosen must be complex enough to offer sufficient challenge and must be realistic in terms of information available at a level needed to complete the project in the required time frame. For example, an assisted living facility that does not make use of information systems would not be appropriate for this project. There is no need to, nor would it be appropriate to access any confidential patient information in order to complete the project. Students who are not able to interview an HIM professional or other healthcare practitioners or administrators may use AHIMA resources, articles, and case studies available online or library resources, and reach out to the professor for more guidance.

For successful completion of the project, please follow the guidelines below and comply with the criteria listed in the grading rubric for deliverables, organization, grammar, and resourcefulness.

1. Describe and analyze the chosen healthcare facility. (20 points)
   • Location – where is the organization located.
   • Type of setting – acute care hospital, skilled nursing facility, physicians office, surgical center, insurance company, etc.
   • Size of the facility – research the number of beds if applicable or other information on the size.
   • Ownership – private, government owned, proprietary, voluntary, etc.
   • Population served
   • Services offered
   • Any accreditation or certification facts (You can find these from the organization’s website
   • Work on this section after completing Week 2 content and reviewing Chapter 11 – Draft due on Week 4, Completed in Week 7.

2. Describe users of the health information at this organization. (20 points)
   • Physicians
   • Nurses
   • Administrators
   • Support services
   • External users depending on the type of the facility (such as accrediting agencies, payors, state department of health, CMS, and others as applicable).
   • Any other users not listed above (therapists, pharmacists, etc.)
   • Clarify whether this facility has paper medical records only, electronic only, or both.
   • If the facility has paper records, describe how users access these records.
   • If the facility has electronic records, describe how users access these records.
   • Work on this section after completing Week 3 content and reviewing Chapter 2 – Draft due on Week 4, Completed in Week 7.
3. Discuss at least one information system used in the facility. (50 points)
   • Identify the name of the system and the vendor (e.g., Chart Locator software by 3M, Sunrise software by Eclipsys, etc.).
   • Identify the type of system (e.g., registration, billing, coding, computerized physician order entry [CPOE], nursing system, picture archiving communication system [PACS], medication administration, finance system, etc.).
   • Classify the system (to the best of your ability) based on the description you are given (e.g., clinical, administrative, decision support, transaction-processing, MIS, EIS, etc.) and what you have learned from Sayles, chapters 14 and 15.
   • Describe the function of the system as explained by the interviewer or other sources of information.
   • What is their purpose, or what functions do they perform?
   • Does it connect or interface with other systems?
   • Is it user friendly?
   • Is the system secure?
   • Do vendors support the maintenance and updates of the system?
   • Describe strengths (e.g., ask about benefits of using this system; has it made a difference in the way care is delivered and decisions are made?).
   • Describe weaknesses (e.g., functions that the system does not currently perform and you would like it to perform).
   • Describe any details learned about the planning, design, implementation, and maintenance of this system.
   • Ask if it is possible to obtain copies of a screenshot, policies and procedures, brochures, training guidelines, or anything else that they may be willing to share.
   • Work on this section after completing Weeks 4 and 5 content and reviewing Chapters 14 and 15 – Due on Week 7.

4. Provide comments and conclusions. (15 points)
   • Reflect on the learning experience as a result of working on this project.
   • Summarize your findings about the organization.
   • Summarize your findings about the system described.
   • Identify key strengths and weaknesses of the system.
   • Identify any opportunities for improvement (based on identification of weaknesses or your knowledge about systems).
   • Work on this section after completing all other sections of the project – Due on Week 7.

   
   

Milestones

• First Deliverable: Healthcare facility selection (10 points), due in Week 2
  • Students must select a healthcare organization and state whether this organization has at least one information system, and submit it in the Dropbox.
• Second Deliverable: Section 1 & 2 Draft (40 points), due in Week 4
  • Students must complete the description of the healthcare facility selected and users of health information at the facility, and submit it in the Dropbox.
• Final Deliverable: Complete project – All sections including those that were submitted as a draft, cover page, conclusions, and references (130 points), due in Week 7
  • Students must complete the project in a Word document, APA format, and submit it in the Dropbox.

Please Note: All deliverables must be submitted as Word Documents in the applicable Dropbox.

See the Syllabus section “Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due date information.