Chapter 13 - Health Information Systems Strategic Planning Flashcards
Accountable care organization (ACO)
An organization of providers that work together collaboratively to improve the quality and cost of a population of patients
Administrative data
Data associated with identifying patients, location of care, healthcare professionals, etc. These data are vital for organizational operations and to ensure accurate documentation about patients
Administrative metadata
This is the third type of metadata and it is programmed to be generated by the information technology. It provides information about how and when data were created and used and it is also a record of the instructions given to users about actions to be taken with the information technology and what the user response was
Adoption
Refers to the stage where every intended user is fully using the basic functionality of the system
Application service provider (ASP)
In the past, most healthcare organizations used client-server technology. The organization purchased computers that served as the location where software and data were stored and from which data and functionality were delivered to user’s computers. Over time, this form of technology acquisition was replaced with an application service provider (ASP) strategy. In this case, the organization did not need to purchase servers. Instead, the ASP provided the servers, loaded the organization’s software and data on these servers, and provided the organization’s users with the data and functionality through a secure connection.
Benefits realization
A formal process of studying whether the value (for example, cost savings, productivity improvements, revenue enhancements, improved quality of care and patient safety, patient and provider experience of care satisfaction) was work the investment of time, energy, and money
Best of breed
Selecting a vendor for each type of technology throughout the migration path resulting in potentially a number of different vendors
Best of fit
The situation in which the goal is to minimize the number of vendors
Change control
A formal process of documenting what change in an information system is needed, the rationale for the change, necessary approvals, when the change was made, who made the change, that related documentation has been updated to reflect the change, and that monitoring for a period of time was performed
Chart conversion
Refers to moving from paper to an electronic system and it most often impacts physician offices and clinics moving from paper-based health records to EHRs.
Chief information officer (CIO)
Responsible for the “management, implementation, and usability of information and computer technologies” for an organization
Chief medical informatics officer (CMIO)
Physicians who have special interest in health information systems and technology. They typically are practicing physicians who can put policy into practice
Chief technology officer (CTO)
Responsible for overseeing current technology and creating relevant policy for its use
Clinical data
Data produced by healthcare providers in the process of diagnosing and treating patients
Clinical data analyst
Contribute to configuring information systems specific to organization needs, conduct training on use of technology and specific healthcare applications, and may be engaged in creating reports and monitoring data usage for specific clinical applications—especially those related to clinical research
Clinical transformation
Optimization focuses on using a health information system to improve the clinical practice of medicine. Such profound changes often are referred to as clinical transformation. For example, if a physician has always prescribed a certain medication for a given condition, the physician who has optimized use of CPOE will follow evidence-based medicine guidelines in selecting the appropriate medication
Cloud computing
Refers to servers that may be located anywhere in the world (where there is room on servers for a low price) and that supply data and functionality via the Internet, rather than a local place that provides data and functionality via virtual private network (VPN) or even direct cabling to a healthcare organization
Contract negotiation
The process of going back and forth with the vendor on the issues identified until all are resolved to the satisfaction of both parties
Data administrator
Persons who apply domain expertise to the logical design of a database, establish policies and standards governing creation and use of data, maintain data dictionaries, and manage the quality of the data
Data conversion
Taking data already in one automated system and putting it into the new system
Data governance
The “function of defining, implementing, and enforcing policies and standards for data”
Data model
Generally used to describe how data elements are used in processing data, including the various attributes and relationships between data
Data provenance
Another type of administrative data and refers to where data originated and where data may have moved between databases
Data quality management
The business processes that ensure the integrity of an organization’s data during collection, application (including aggregation), warehousing, and analysis’
Data quality measurement
A mechanism to assign a quantity to quality of care by comparison to a criterion
Database administrator
Technical staff members within information technology departments who design and manage the technical implementation and maintenance of databases
Decision support
Rules are programmed into software to recognize various combinations of data that are being captured in information technology and to generate various types of actions by the technology according to the rule requirements
Dependency
Exists when one component cannot operate without another component (Ex. Hardware cannot be used without software)
Descriptive metadata
Describes each data element to be captured and processed by information technology
Due diligence
Steps taken to confirm various facts about the product. Due diligence for health information system components acquisition almost always includes reference checks, frequent site visits to see how the products work in a real life setting, and for very big acquisitions, corporate site visits and investigations
e-discovery
It is important to note that metadata is generally not considered part of the legal health record, but may be subject to compulsory discovery in a court of law under the Amendments to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and Uniform Rules Relating to Discovery of Electronically Stored Information (referred to as e-discovery)
End user
Those using the system for everyday tasks
Environmental scan
A process to formally identify challenges that considers both internal and external factors
Financial data
Data associated with healthcare is produced by and often exchanged between healthcare providers and health plans, including eligibility and benefits information, healthcare claims, and the like.
Go-live
The first day users use the system in actual practice
Governance
Refers to the establishment of policies and the continual monitoring of their implementation for effectively and efficiently managing an organization’s assets.
Health data
The raw facts or figures that are processed into useful health information
Health informatics
A growing field focusing on the intersection of technology, clinical practice, and financial affairs
Health information
Supplies value to the management of illness, injury, or maintenance of health and wellness
Health information system
Used to refer to all the components—human and computer—that ensure health data are processed into useful health information. The human component will include everyone and their practices. The computer component includes hardware, software, cables, radio waves, etc
Health information technology
Reserved to describe computer systems used to process health data into health information
Health reform
Major policy changes to improve the quality and manage the cost of healthcare
Implementation
The process in which the system is configured to meet a specific organization’s needs.
Implementation plan
Used to manage the thousands of tasks in selecting, acquiring, and implementing the various hardware, software, and operational components of the health information system. These plans are tactical, relatively short term, and often repeated with only slight variation for every component implemented.
Information governance
The “control and use of the actual documents, reports, and records created from data”
Installation
The process a vendor uses to load software onto the hardware being acquired
Interface
Software that works between two or more systems to enable the two systems to share data
Interoperability
The ability to share data across separate systems
Legacy system
Older and out of date systems
Metadata
A special type of data associated with all data and information in a health information system
Migration path
Documentation of the strategic plan. The migration path should reflect the IT architecture of hardware and software as well as the operational elements of people, policy, and process changes to address improvements in clinical quality, patient safety, evidence based practices, cost of care, productivity, user satisfaction, patient experience of care, etc.
Optimization
Includes activities that extend use of information systems beyond the basic functionality
Patient safety
Preventing harm to patient, learning from errors, and building a culture of safety
Personal health data
Data maintained by an individual, often in a personal health record.
Planning horizon
Refers to both the scope of the system to be addressed and the number of years estimated for planning, acquiring, and implementing the components identified. The planning horizon helps anticipate the resources that will be needed and the feasibility for carrying out the plan
Policy
Refers to the general direction in which action should be taken that reflects the organization’s culture and mission
Population health data
Data on the quality, cost, and risk associated with the health of a specific set of individuals
Procedure
Step-by-step guides in how to carry out a process
Project manager
Responsible for developing a detailed project plan and for ensuring that all tasks are successfully performed on time and on budget
Project plan
The project plan for a health information system will very likely have hundreds, if not close to a thousand or more tasks. Details of each task’s timeline, dependencies, and resources required are included on the project plan
Public health data
Data used to prevent the spread of disease
Request for proposal (RFP)
Once all requirements are determined for functionality, vendor strategy, and other elements being sought from a vendor, an organization typically compiles all of this information into a request for proposal (RFP). This solicitation to vendors usually also includes basic information about the healthcare organization, such as how many users will be using the system, the timeline for implementation, and any special contractual issues that must be addressed.
Requirements analysis
The step that identifies, in detail, the precise requirements needed for both health information technology (that is, hardware and software) and operational components (people, policy, and process) of the health information system to meet the goals specified in the strategic plan.
Requirements specification
A formal document conveyed to vendors; this contains all the requirements that need to be acquired from a vendor
Research data
Data that may be the same as any of the previous data listed plus additional data associated with a specific research protocol
Return on investment (ROI)
This is what some organizations include in their benefits realization. ROI determines if the system has paid for itself, comparing the financial benefits to the total cost of the system
Risk management
A process that identifies where there is the possibility that a key step or series of steps may not be performed on time, where a component of the system is not working properly and may potentially delay other aspects of the implementation or will cost more to fix
Scribe
An individual who perform data entry functions at the point of care
SMART goals
Statements that identify results that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-based
Software as a service (SaaS)
Houses the servers and delivers data and functionality to the users via secure connection, but also provides software
Steering committee
A representative group of key stakeholders who provide advice and guidance in the acquisition of the health information system components under consideration
Stewardship
Taking care of something you own or have been entrusted with
Strategic plan
Long term plan, covering a period of at least three to five years, and focused on the direction needed to accomplish the organization’s mission
Structural metadata
Describes how the data for each data element are captured, processed, stored, and displayed
Sunsetting
Refers to the action taken by a vendor to no longer support ongoing maintenance or upgrades for a legacy system
Super user
Typically staff members who will ultimately be end users but who have agreed to help with the implementation, testing, training, and post golive troubleshooting.
System
A set of components that work together to achieve a common purpose.
System configuration
(or system build) includes loading data tables and master files (ex. Files of all the names of staff members and their permissions for access to the system), adjusting decision support rules for transitioning, writing interfaces, customizing screens, and numerous other tasks that make the system work for the specific organization
System development life cycle (SDLC)
Refers to the steps taken from an initial point of recognizing the need for a desired result, through the steps taken to ensure that all components needed for the system to achieve the desired result are addressed, to repeating this cycle whenever the result of the system fails to continue to produce the desired result
System integrator
A company that acquires products and develops permanent interfaces between them, selling them then as a single technology offering
Tactical plan
Because computer systems have a short life cycle, many organizations develop plans for information systems that are often only one or two years. This is actually a tactical plan. Short term, focused on one component or project, often only one or two years
Throughflow
Refers to a process and its sequence when the process is largely conducted mentally
Usability
The efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction with which users achieve results from health information systems
Value
A combination of quality, cost, and patient experience of care.
Value-based purchasing (VBP)
A key health reform strategy, is a specific program of enhanced payment to deliver care that takes into consideration access, price, quality, efficiency, and alignment of incentives rather than volume alone, which has been the hallmark of fee-for-service payment mechanisms.
Workflow
the sequence of steps in the process of work performed
