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International Journal of Modern Research in Engineering and Technology (IJMRET)

www.ijmret.org Volume 2 Issue 6 ǁ October 2017.

Health Information Technology Implementation Challenges and


Responsive Solutions for Health Systems

Dr. Syed Adeel Ahmed & Mr. Brendan James Moore, MA


Tulane University, 800 E Commerce Rd., Elmwood, 70123, Louisiana, United States
The University of New Orleans, 2000 Lakeshore Dr., New Orleans, 70148, Louisiana, United States
Xavier University of Louisiana, 1 Drexel Drive, New Orleans, 70125, Louisiana, United States

Abstract : Because putting patients’ needs first is essential in the healthcare industries, many healthcare systems
face health information technology (HIT) related challenges and a patient service dilemma.We will firstpresent
the patient service dilemma and provide a high-leveloverview of technologies that have increased the productivity,
efficiency in providing care, and clinical collaboration across their various healthcare campuses. Then, we will
suggest changesto current HIT practice that will enableHealth Systems to be Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA) compliant, while meeting the needs of patients, their expectations of care, and the
changing healthcare industry.

Keywords: HIT, Health Information Technology, IT, Health, Implementation, Business Plan, Health Systems,
Information Governance, Cloud computing, Mobile technology,Wearable Technology, Electronic Health
Records, Electronic Medical Records, EHR, EMR, HIPPA, Personal Health Information, PHI.

problems with older, outdated, systems


I. Introduction
Because putting patients’ needs first is essential [11].
in the healthcare industries, many healthcare systems The patient service dilemma is a unique
face health information technology (HIT) related
problem that arises from balancing the needs of the
challenges. We will first provide a high-level
overview of technologies that have increased the patients with the imperative to have efficient service.
productivity, efficiency in providing care, and Patient Service Dilemma: There is sometimes a
clinical collaboration across their various healthcare
tension between meeting patients needs and
campuses. Then, we will suggest changes to current
HIT practice that will enable Health Systems to be having an increased productivity and efficiency
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of service.
(HIPAA) compliant, while meeting the needs of
patients, their expectations of care, and the changing
healthcare industry. The cost of providing health services has
Some of the challenges that face health increased. Drug costs and treatment costs increase,
information technology (HIT) adoption include the and although technology provides more methods in
following: how to treat diseases, having the infrastructure to
 Funding and the rising cost of support such data-driven methods is another
providing healthcare services financial cost for an industry that is already facing
 The time medical practitioners have to rising costs.
learn new systems Along the same line of thinking, smaller
 The number of skilled workers and hospitals might not be able to meet security
employees that are needed to manage requirements that HIPAA compliance. In other
HIT systems words, the cost to ensure secure data governance
 Interoperability and the fact that new policies are in practice might be too costly for clinics
HIT implementation’s face integration and smaller health systems.
However, having data security best practices is

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International Journal of Modern Research in Engineering and Technology (IJMRET)
www.ijmret.org Volume 2 Issue 6 ǁ October 2017.

important. “Some 2013 findings indicate that a little hospitals might not be able to meet security
over 12% of participants had withheld information requirements that HIPAA compliance. In other
from a healthcare provider because of security words, the cost to ensure secure data governance
concerns” [9; p. 197]. policies are in practice might be too costly for clinics
Now that patients have better access to scores of and smaller health systems.
neighboring health systems, if patients feel that their Changing an HIT policy or procedure affects
data is not secure, they may shop around to other many areas of an organization. Having a variety of
“centers of excellence” offered by other hospital stakeholders present when implementing HIT will
systems. Patients have expectations that their data is ensure that all needs are being met.
secure, and if their data is secured, they are less The goals of HIT is to improve communication
likely to lie to their primary care physician, ensuring and continuity of care, reduce medical errors,
that they get appropriate healthcare treatment and standardize medical care of individuals across the
improved health outcomes. health system, accelerate access to care, and protect
We will cover several major emerging patient’s privacy through security that mitigates data
technologies being implemented in the healthcare breaches.
sector, including cloud computing, mobile Having a wide variety of views is important to
technology, telemedicine, wearable technologies, include when implementing HIT policies,
and cybersecurity. We will then discuss their procedures, and departments in a healthcare
challenges and possible suggested changes in environment. All stakeholders should meet and
practices to mitigate negative outcomes in ensure that the EHR implementation met the needs
addressing the patient service dilemma. of everyone. As we have previously mentioned,
theInformation Governance Reference Model
II. Overview of HIT adoption challenges (IGRM) represents a process for IG policy
Some of the challenges that face health integration that recognizes and considers a variety of
information technology (HIT) adoption include the stakeholders [3]. “Although diversifying roles when
following: making IG policy will help mitigate risk, ensuring
 Funding and the rising cost of that a diversified set of identities and stakeholders
providing healthcare services are involved is as essential” [11]. Cross-functional
 The time medical practitioners have to teams are important in forming information
learn new systems governance policy and incorporating a variety of
 The number of skilled workers and views is important prior to implementing an HIT
employees that are needed to manage plan.
HIT systems
 Interoperability and the fact that new III. Cloud Computing
HIT implementation’s face integration Many different components can be obtained via
problems with older, outdated, systems the cloud. Some use the cloud for data storage,
[11]. application software, backup and recovery.
The cost of providing health services has The range of services offered by Cloud services
increased. Drug costs and treatment costs increase, vary, and the cloud computing architecture is made
and although technology provides more methods in up of the delivery, a network, back end platforms,
how to treat diseases, having the infrastructure to and front end platforms. If you want many
support such data-driven methods is another components to be obtained via the cloud, you can
financial cost for an industry that is already facing have almost everything obtained via the cloud.
rising costs. In certain models, such as IaaS (Infrastructure
Along the same line of thinking, smaller as a Service), third-party vendors host the hardware,
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International Journal of Modern Research in Engineering and Technology (IJMRET)
www.ijmret.org Volume 2 Issue 6 ǁ October 2017.

software, servers, and sometimes even applications moving some IT EHR storage functions may allow
on the client’s behalf. for greater transparency between patients and their
In our office, we use a rapid development medical records. As an IT manager, think about your
e-learning software from Ukraine called payor mix and your patient demographics before
EasyGenerator, so everything is hosted through a shifting IT functioning to a cloud-based system.
website, and the user simply logs-on to use their The Cloud’s use in healthcare also meets the
cloud-computing services. The European-based hospital’s need to have health operating margins.
service stores the data, does the cloud computing, “The global adoption for cloud services in healthcare
and many things we would otherwise need to is expected to grow from $3.73 billion in 2015 to
consider if we were to host those components nearly $9.5 billion by 2020” [2].
in-house. Also, if the healthcare company does not have
Another model is to only use one feature, such the initial funds, using cloud-based services can
as taking advantage of the cloud computing power, allow companies to avoid upfront infrastructure
yet storing the data locally. Or, one might only use costs and use their precious resources on other
the cloud for storage services, such as CMS (Content projects and business needs.
Management System). The components you can
access via the Cloud can be determined by the 3.1 Challenges
business need and whether or not your approach as One disadvantage of using the Cloud for
an information technology (IT) manager is safe, storage or cloud computing is that typically you will
fulfills a business need, and is compliant with be using a single vendor.
policies, procedures, and regulations. A challenging aspect of adopting cloud services
Utilizing the cloud has many advantages. Using is that since cloud usage is increasing, cyberattacks,
the Cloud can also help a healthcare business in such as denial of service attacks, are becoming more
many ways. First, a growing company can more common. However, we can give several suggestions
easily achieve scalability. Because cloud computing to management that would mitigate the negative
use is typically pay-per-use, a small yet fast growing impact those attacks would have on business
company can “pay as you grow.” operations.
Because third-party cloud services are in
charge of their own upkeep, typically a newer 3.2 Suggested Changes in Practices
company will experience higher application First, we would suggest that when we initially
performance than if they attempt to keep updated on assess and vet the third-party vendor we plan to use
their in-house system. Also, cloud services help have for our Cloud use, we ought to inquire what specific
a centralized, aggregated, data source, so instead of controls they have in place, such as what encryption
needing to store and move data across your they use and who has control over access keys. In
healthcare system, everyone can simply go to the this initial assessment and vetting phase, we would
Cloud for accessing what they need. also ask about how often they perform a risk
Concerning back-up and disaster recovery, the analysis and the results of their most recent analysis.
Cloud can offer protections that paper-based The aim of this initial inquiry is to look for a quality
Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems cannot. third-party vendor on the front end of a purchase,
Patient’s Personal Health Information (PHI) will not since traditionally when you buy-into a Cloud
be lost in the case of a flood or natural disaster. vendor you may be stuck with their services for a
The Cloud’s use in healthcare is needed to meet while.
the needs of patients in a dynamic marketplace. If Second, since you are working through a
patients have access to the internet and resources, third-party, you should have a backup plan in case of

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International Journal of Modern Research in Engineering and Technology (IJMRET)
www.ijmret.org Volume 2 Issue 6 ǁ October 2017.

a disaster, such as the company that has your data A disadvantage of using the Cloud for storage
going out of business. Also, if you have a back-up or cloud computing is that typically you will be
plan, such as a locally stored back-up, your using a single vendor. Using a single vendor raises
operations may not be affected in case of a the question, “What if the company goes out of
denial-of-service attack. Although one of the business?” Also, outages might occur from DoS
advantages of using Cloud computing in the rapidly (Denial of Service) attacks and outside threats, rather
changing and dynamic field of healthcare is that you than a business closing. In case of emergencies, such
do not need to maintain an on premise data center as the company going out of business or a DoS
resource, clinics and hospitals need to be operational attack, you should have a backup plan in place that
in the event of an outage or denial of service. does not require the cloud service you are
Information technology (IT) departments can considering implementing.
also help manage and control exponential growth of As a manager of an IT department, you should
costs for cloud computing, while not being a barrier consider all possible scenarios when choosing to use
to smart use of technology. Although using cloud a cloud-based decision support system. For example,
computing is cheaper than dealing with the initial if the physician cannot access decision support tool
start-up costs of having an in-house system, the cost due to an internet outage, will the physician still
is typically related to usage. Because of the direct have access to enough patient conditions and
relationship between cost and use when cloud historical information to make a decent diagnosis.
computing, we have several suggestions that can Also, will the patient’s EHR information be
help IT management control exponential growth of backed-up on-site in the event that that the hospital
costs, while not being a barrier to cloud computing cannot access the information through
smart use. cloud-computing. As a manager, even though using
First, if you are using cloud computing for cloud computing opens many operational advantages,
storage, migrate as much static data as possible ensuring you have a back-up plan is essential to
through a bulk load process and then continue to making sure you can meet patients’ needs in the
transmit incremental data. event of an outage.
Second, since resources can be dynamically Also, HIPAA compliance is important in the
reallocated per demand, make sure that your project medical profession. However, since cloud use is
is not duplicating efforts and that only those that relatively new, how to meet HIPAA’s standards is
need access to cloud computing at specific times are sometimes ambiguous, and extra effort needs to be
the ones using the system. made to ensure that you are HIPAA compliant with
Before deciding to use cloud computing, assess any cloud-based practices and personal health
the short-term as well as the long-term cost and keep information (PHI) security.
in mind your usage. If you build an in-house In addition, you should spend extra time and
infrastructure, you should ask yourself how much it effort into making sure that your cloud based service
will cost to keep up with improvements operates across department needs and technology. If
year-after-year. If you go with a cloud computing you use a different system that cannot be used by
service, you should ask yourself about the costs of others due to technologic differences within your
recovering from a disasters, such as if the service organizations, you may have interoperability issues.
can no longer be provided. In a healthcare context, Next, we will cover some advantages of the cloud.
keeping the customer (or patient) in mind is
fundamental in ensuring that your company’s IV. Mobile Technology
mission can be kept, regardless of which use of There are many reasons why mobile technology
technology you choose to use. is increasing in popularity. Some of the reasons
include mobile technology becoming more
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International Journal of Modern Research in Engineering and Technology (IJMRET)
www.ijmret.org Volume 2 Issue 6 ǁ October 2017.

affordable over time. Also, mobile technology has Security is also an issue. Hackers can gain
increased in speed, convenience, wireless access through smart devices, which include many
connectivity, and expanded in memory, while at the models of mobile phones. Healthcare organizations
same time shrinking in device size. need to consider how devices interact with one
In addition, many mobile devices are not another, and ensure that patient safety is a priority
merely used for phone calls. Instead, mobile smart over convenience or patient satisfaction. For
phones can access the internet and use e-mail, apps, example, in the event of an operation that uses smart
and other functions and features that increase devices, making sure phones are off and best
convenience for consumers and those providing practices surrounding interference prevention should
services, such as clinicians. be implemented.
Mobile technology and wearables could help us Also, if some of your treatments require
move from merely treating illness to proactively sensors and mobile technology, then there are
reducing the occurrence of illness. Built-in analytics financial questions that need to be answers
and dashboards enable healthcare staff and patients concerning whether or not the patient will bear the
to sort, filter, and drill down into the patient’s health cost, or insurance companies, or the hospital system.
data, which can be used to proactively treat and
reduce the occurrence of illness. 4.2 Suggested Changes in Practices
We will illustrate our point by pointing out the The only high-level unique to the healthcare
difference between “leading” and “lagging” industry mobile security advice we would give to a
indicators. For example, if a patient can know when healthcare manager would be to be aware of how
they have an onset of a panic attack or heart problem patients and providers are using mobile technologies
by a notification of their vitals (or the “leading” to access sensitive information.
indicators of a heart attack), they can proactively and We would convince business management to
more readily seek help, in-the-moment, rather than approve spending on data security by first listing the
waiting for the “lagging” indicator of a heart attack benefits of providing data security and issues that
(the phenomenological experiencing of a heart attack) would be avoided in addressing data security needs.
in which case one would find out too late to do any We would first cover best security practices and
proactive treatment. how they would avoid issues later down the road
Also, many clinics in the US use text messages that would be caused by poor data security practices
to remind patients of appointments, remind patients in every type of data security, such technical,
to take medications, and to communicate lab results. administrative, and physical data security.
With mobile technology increasing the ability for Benefits of data security include the following:
patients to have access to healthcare and other  Avoid legal and HIPAA
services, we do not find it surprising that mobile compliance issues
technology continues to increase in popularity.  Gain patient and stakeholder
trust across the health system
4.1 Challenges  Reduction of data breaches
Mobile technology presents unique challenges  Gained efficiency in
to healthcare organizations. First, if patients demand information handling processes.
mobile technology health support, then providing  Gained transparency and patient
that service will incur a cost. When developing an access to records[11; 10].
app or website that is mobile compatible, you should Having good data security can also lead to
consider interoperability, screen size (for user ease financial gains for the organization, such as
of access) and other technical issues. reimbursement for costs from the Center for

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International Journal of Modern Research in Engineering and Technology (IJMRET)
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Medicare and Medicaid on safely, securely, and the patients might not otherwise have. Specialties
successfully reported HCAHPS (overall patient include teleradiology, teledermatology, teleneurology,
perception of their healthcare needs being met), telepharmacy, and many other.
CGCAHPS (clinical groups), ED CAHPS Having convenient access to specialty care will
(Emergency Department) survey scores. likely raise patient satisfaction, which will thereby
The HIPPA settlements for 2016 have been increase a hospital’s HCAHPS(the Hospital
mostly associated with internal causes. Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and
To help prevent external breaches, we would Systems) scores, which affects federal
ensure not only that firewalls are in place, but also reimbursement to the hospital system. In other words,
that internal contractors and employees are trained in the patient, hospital system, and clinician all can
safe data handling and risk mitigation practices. If benefit from telemedicine.
employees and internal contractors are not practicing
safe data handling methods for information 5.1 Challenges
exchange, then they may unintentially open With those benefits in mind, practitioners using
opportunities for external cyber breaches. For telemedicine have to keep in mind the relatively new,
example, if documents are disposed of in flippant and changing, laws surrounding its use and also
manners, someone may only need to go through the ensure that patient’s needs are actually being met,
trash to gain access to sensitive information. regardless of patient satisfaction scores.
Our risk assessment procedure would include a Many patients are socio-economically
needs analysis of current data handling practices to challenged, and because of this challenge an issue is
see if there are any gaps in what we are currently raised in healthcare. Hospitals are trying to provide
doing and what best practices dictate we should be the best care possible, while balancing their
doing. operational costs with the needs of the patients
Settlements may take 2 to 3 years to develop, (cost-effective care). If a healthcare organization can
and finding out a data breach occurred may be send laboratory results notifications through
months after the breach took place, but ensuring we telemedicine and make patient data available
mitigate risk as much as possible is a necessary step through wearables, then hospital staff and patients
in ensuring that data breaches are minimal, could save on the costs of travel, Telemedicine can
infrequent, and preventative measures are taken. also improve the bottom line of a healthcare
organization, while at the same time address patients’
V. Telemedicine, Wearable Technology, socio-economic issue. If there is a shortage of
and Cybersecurity specialists in a rural area, then telemedicine may be
Concerning clinicians, some benefits of
the fastest way to provide care, while also saving
telemedicine are that telemedicine allows for greater
costs on the patient from traveling out of their city or
communication and improved collaboration among
state to see a specialist.
physicians and disparate healthcare organizations.
How will practicing telemedicine help the
Not all clinicians are employees of hospitals, so
healthcare organization’s bottom line? If the hospital
telemedicine specialists can be hired and contribute
gets federal funding based on lower readmission
to healthcare organizations they otherwise would not
rates, then utilizing teleconsultation and
be able to assist.
telemedicine in preventative and after-care may
Concerning patients, teleconsultations with
increase a hospital’s federal reimbursement.
specialists in a variety of fields allows for greater
access to care. If a patient is in a rural area with no
5.2 Suggested Changes in Practices
specialists or large hospitals in their immediate areas,
Using encrypted data, while using the “Security
telemedicine allows for opportunities for care that

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Rule” can help outline the boundaries of what contracts for uses and disclosures of PHI (Personal
involves reasonable and appropriate safeguards to Health Information), so patients are aware of the risks
cyberattacks. For example, if your wearable uses of losing wearables, or their PHI being accessed in
cloud-based computing, ensure that data is encrypted unauthorized ways.
if stored through cloud services. Ensuring your Chief In addition, using telemedicine for specialist
Technology Officer, Information Security Officer, consultations and a value-based pay structure can
and information and data governance policies allow a healthcare organization to have flexibility to
(informed by all stakeholders) are in place is the first changing government regulations. For example, if
step in saving organizations in the healthcare field you use a third-party telemedicine company to
time, energy, and operating funds. outsource your specialty services and regulations
Also, even if a cloud computing provider’s change, then you will bemore easily able to adjust to
security is very extensive, as an IT manager in the shift and changing conditions than if you built an
healthcare field, you must take extra steps to ensure in-house support system that would need to be
HIPAA compliance. Data breaches can occur in a overhauled in the event of a regulation change.
variety of ways. Not all data breaches come from Being flexible to changing regulations is
external sources and not all data breaches are important, and ensure that any policy or procedure
intentional; however, if patient sensitive information put in place can be addressed in the case of a
is accessed the potential harms and misuses of the changing regulation. Using third-party telemedicine
compromised data are just as costly for organizations vendors is a current solution to only one aspect of
and all parties involved. HIT.
Besides being cheaper for organizations, cloud VI. Conclusion
computing may also address opportunities for In this paper, we have offered solutions to
improved security if implemented correctly. various recent HIT challenges facing the healthcare
 Take the opportunity to upgrade industry. Health systems are in a unique position
the application to the latest release. compared to other companies, because of the
 Deploy the application in a tightly essential need to put their customer and patients’
controlled virtual network needs first. Because of this uniqueness, a patient
segment. service dilemma is present. Emerging technologies
 Introduce network-level threat haveincreased the productivity, efficiency in
prevention. providing care, and clinical collaboration across
 Enforce stronger controls on healthcare campuses, and the balance for industry
underlying databases. leaders and managers is to meet the needs of patients,
 Eliminate all existing server-level and their expectations of care, while being adaptable
vulnerabilities prior to cutover” to the changing healthcare industry qua business
[11]. entity.
Security does not come automatically by moving
EHR systems to the Cloud. Malware infections, and Acknowledgements
variety of hostile and intrusive software, can Brendan Moore is a philosopher and instructional
compromise patient data. Besides backing-up files, designer currently working on a leadership
ensuring you know how Cloud storage works, where development program at Ochsner Health Systems in
the data is located, and what kinds of protections are New Orleans, Louisiana. His background includes
needed for HIPAA compliance is essential to 7+ years of university medical ethics teaching at
mitigating lost and mishandled sensitive patient data. Ohio University and several years of work in the
Also, be sure to outline business associate area of information technology, instructional

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technology, and applied computing systems. He [17] (3)Violino, B., 2017. “Majority of organizations say
analytics tools fall short” Health Data Management,
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Technology at Tulane University, and in [18] (4)Violino B., 2017. “Oracle releases Data
Management Workbench Cloud Services” Health
Engineering Management at the University of New Data Management, April 27th. link
Orleans.
Dr. Syed Adeel Ahmed is a faculty member of
Division of Business at Xavier University of
Louisiana and Editorial Board member/Reviewer of
UJEEE at HRPUB.

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