Electronic Medical Records

Health care management is a critical area that should be thoroughly assessed and properly managed to ensure that it runs smoothly and efficiently. A number of statistics that have been conducted across the globe has shown a trend in adaptations of various health care changes that will ensure that sustainable and positive changes are achieved.  Due to global deterioration in view of the subject, majorly within the health care facilities, I decided to participate in health care related change that was going to ensure efficiency in terms of the management of the sector in question (Carter, & American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine, 2001). 

The main change that my team and I participated in ensuring that we achieve our aim was to introduce the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) which has the records of standard clinical and medical data (Gkoulalas, & Loukides, 2012). These are actually the information that is kept by the hospital management with regards to their daily services. The records were going to ensure easier retrieval of detailed medical history of a patient should there be a need since records are electronically managed.

Other than the above change, my team also recommended for a standby support to the Electronic Medical Records known as Electronic Health Records that would ensure that the health records of a patient can be mobile. This we saw as an idea that was going to assist patients carry their medical records to other health care specialists, nursing homes and even across the state, but it was only to apply if there was need (Iyer, Levin, Shea, & Ashton, 2006).

My team’s basic focus was on the Electronic Medical Records. I had to see this change happen through a number of ways but most vital one was through the medical history of the patients. How they are taken down, processed, stored and finally; how they are kept. The subject change was triggered by a number of key issues or even steps. One of the most important key areas that triggered the change was on the benefits of the EMR’s that gave hope for a better future in terms of the management of the health facilities (Leese, et al 2005). The advantages that we looked at as a team were mainly on the ability of Electronic Medical Records to track huge range of data within the shortest range of time.

Apart from that, EMR was also seen by the team as being able to improve the overall output quality in terms of care in practice. It was also able to offer monitorial duties mainly on how patients sum up to certain medical parameters such as blood pressure readings and finally vaccination. The other area that my team assessed which I saw as a credit on the team’s side was that, the data that is mainly kept by the subject device cannot be shared easily with the providers who are outside of a practice. These were the main reasons that triggered our interest in the device in question as a way of ensuring that change is achieved or realized within the health care facilities in terms of health care management (Scott 2007).

I directed my team to the best of my knowledge to ensure that the change we were bringing on board was achievable, and reminded them of my week one lecture where one professor Sir Ian Kennedy, once said that during his research period, he gathered evidence that showed commitment and enthusiasm in health care services.

In order for affectivity in my team’s program, we had to develop an elaborate plan that was going to ensure that EMR was going to be a success in the managerial role within the health care facilities. The first plan that was put into consideration was how; we were going to get the sources of financial options to health care facilities across the globe. The other plan was on the relevant personnel who were going to operate the subject electronic device for the purpose of efficiency. Finally, we were concerned on the integration methodology since we still needed a way on how the prior records kept by health facilities can be transferred to EMR. My team had to divide itself into two sub teams, where every sub team was to explore the planning criteria’ adequately and finally making up the initial team and drawing conclusion (Skolnik, 2011).

Our plan explored an elaborate system, where financial backup was consensually agreed to be sought from both World Bank and World Health Organization. We also explored how the personnel who were going to operate the machines would be hired and we settled on recruiting qualified personnel with medical background in terms of the knowledge. Our final step looked at the integration procedures, which was uniformly agreed by team members to involve every stakeholder who were previously dealing with the records and the ones who were going to operate the EMRs for smooth transition (United States, 2006).

Remember, this was an initiative that was driven by a number of key factors of which majority of the factors has been widely covered. The main ones have been discussed to be;

• The need for an improvement in terms of keeping and storing of patients medical history and there easy retrieval when needed. This was also going to positively impact the policies of implementation because most of the data are electronically processed.
• The other key factor is on the need of ensuring efficiency within the subject management. I also had to capture my team’s attention in reference to my week two class notes that explored some of the difficulties that people normally encounter when it comes to making changes to the health care system. This was another vital factor that was also in line with strengthening the policies that would also be adopted at the implementation procedure or even in the future. This is due to the fact that policies are meant for ensuring efficiency, which the factor was based on.

We therefore had to do our best not disregarding the notes content in view of the subject week but staying on the safer side and avoiding any barrier that may arise.

Our final and major concern was now based on the implementation of the change that we have been working on. We were aware that previously, scholars have tried implementing the above change through the use of a diffusion theory of one personality by the name Kotter. The full name of the theory was, Kotter’s Change Management Theory and Innovation Diffusion Theory. On my side, I recommended to my team to pick on one of the models that I have in my class notes because they are the once that I was convinced would not face any barrier in the implementation level. Other than that, my team also used the Kurt Lewin Management theory for the purpose of implementation. The main reason for the use of this theory is because it can easily lead to better understanding for the change in context and its ease to also overcome resistance from outside forces.

The model that we therefore picked on from the class notes in week three was that model known as Bullock and Batten’s model. This model has been in existence since 1985 and it is divided into three phases. The first phase being exploration, the second one being planning, the third action and finally integration is the last one. This model first calls for the exploration of the current status quo of the existing health facilities and assessing their management. It then plans on how they can be improved by developing a number of key concerns as far as planning is concerned. An action is then taken once planning has been exhausted, it is at this level where implementation also takes place and finally integration is realized. This is the main final stage that once reached. The change is viewed or rather termed as a success.

My teams’ recommendation especially at the implementation stage features EMRs as one of the best or highly efficient in terms or records management and also a booster to the health management (Zaleski, & Siemens, 2009).

In conclusion, the observed prevalence incidence of preventable medical mistakes in the health care sector has always amounted great pressure that would ensure that health facilities just as mentioned above implement electronic medical records as a means of reducing the concerns antecedent to the subject diverse outcomes. It is therefore with regard to my team that I have compiled a change in the management of the health sector that will ensure improvement.

Carter, J. H., & American College of Physicians–American Society of Internal Medicine. (2001). Electronic medical records: A guide for clinicians and administrators. Philadelphia: American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine.

Gkoulalas-Divanis, A., & Loukides, G. (2012). Anonymization of electronic medical records to support clinical analysis. New York: Springer.

Iyer, P. W., Levin, B. J., Shea, M. A., & Ashton, K. (2006). Medical legal aspects of medical records. Tucson, AZ: Lawyers & Judges Pub. Co.

Leese, A., Bellows, G., Cummings, W., Edwards, J., Gordon, J., Henry, G., McCall, R., … Shiny Object Digital Video (Firm). (2005). EMR. United States: Cottonopolis Films.

Scott, T. (2007). Implementing an electronic medical record system: Success, failures, lessons.       Abingdon: Radcliffe.

Skolnik, N. S. (2011). Electronic medical records: A practical guide for primary care. New York: Humana.

United States. (2006). Can small healthcare groups feasibly adopt electronic medical records technology?: Hearing before the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform and Oversight of  the Committee on Small Business, House of Representatives, One Hundred Ninth Congress, second session, Washington, DC, April 6, 2006. Washington: U.S. G.P.O.

Zaleski, J., & Siemens Aktiengesellschaft. (2009). Integrating device data into the electronic medical record: A developer’s guide to design and a practitioner’s guide to application. Erlangen: Publicis Pub.