Digital communication in medical practice / Nancy B. Finn, William F. Bria.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Finn, Nancy B.

Contributor:

Bria, William F.

Series:

Health informatics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Medical records--Data processing.

Medical records.

Physical Description:

xviii, 171 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

London : Springer, [2009]

Summary:

In this current technological medical climate, it is vital for healthcare professionals to arm themselves and their patients with as much information as possible. Digital Communication in Medical Practice is a concise overview of the communication tools available to every practicing physician. The book illustrates how proven communication technologies - the computer, email and the Internet, cell phones, PDAs, and video - can help doctors address the issues of too little time, too many patients and too much information. It discusses how digitization of health records makes it easier for doctors and patients to increase continuity of care by managing data collaboratively.

The book discusses the convenience and efficiency of email and patient portals, how eliminating telephone tag can result in greater efficiency and better patient communications, and the value of e-prescribing, and telemedicine. It includes issues of security, privacy, and healthcare quality, as well as the legislative initiatives that have been passed to protect healthcare information from unauthorized entry. It evaluates important questions about the cost of health services and how various payment structures impact the doctor's ability to be paid a fair wage.

Based around revealing case studies, the book illustrates how communication or the lack thereof can make a significant difference in treatment and outcome. It is a primer in how these important communication technologies save time and money and most importantly will reduce critical medical errors thus saving lives.

Contents:

1 eHealth and Patient Safety 7

Medical Error: Woe is Me; Woe is You 8

Keeping Patients Safe 9

The eHealth Triangle 11

The eHealth Professional 11

The eHospital 13

Case Study: The VA has HIT Covered 13

Case Study: The Dana Farber Cancer Institute 14

Case Study: The Dashboard at BIDMC 15

ePatients 16

eHealth Around the World 17

Key Points 19

References and Notes 20

2 New Health Care Models 21

Continuous Available Information on Every Patient 22

EHR in the Hospital Setting 24

Driving the Adoption of the EHR in Small Group and Solo Practices 24

Installation, Implementation, and Impediments to Use 26

EHR Early Adopters Around the World 28

Health Information Exchange and Compatibility 29

Regional Health Information Organizations Information Exchange 30

Case Study: The Indiana Network for Patient Care and Indiana Health Information Exchange 31

Case Study: The Taconic Health Information Network and Community 32

Computer Physician Order Entry 34

Personal Health Records 35

Case Study: EMC Corporation 38

Key Points 39

References and Notes 40

3 Communication 43

The Media, the Message, and the Internet 43

The Telephone 44

Smart Phones and PDAs 45

Electronic Mail 46

Portals 50

Case Study: Kaiser Permanente 51

The eVisit 52

Case Study: Medem 54

Case Study: Relay Health 54

Key Points 56

References and Notes 57

4 Telemedicine 59

Why Telemedicine? 59

Telemedicine Technologies and Infrastructure 60

Obstacles 61

Telemonitoring and Home Healthcare 64

Telemedicine for Patients in Remote Areas 66

Case Study: Hayes Medical Center 66

Case Study: St. Alexius Telecare Network of North Dakota 67

Telerehabilitation 68

Speech and Language Therapy 68

Physical Therapy 69

Mental Health Services 69

Telehospice: Death with Dignity 70

Telemedicine around the World 70

The eICU: Remote Monitoring for Intensive Care 70

Key Points 71

References and Notes 72

5 Information Access: Information Overload 75

Healthcare Finds the Internet 75

Information Access 76

Information Overload 77

Resources for Physicians and Patients 80

Institutional Web Sites 84

Professional Organizations 84

Online Resources for Cancer 84

Online Resources for Cardiac and Lung Disease 85

Online Resources for Diabetes and Kidney Disease 85

Online Resources for HIV 86

Online Resources for Ordering Drugs 86

Key Points 89

References and Notes 89

6 Keeping Health Information Away from Prying Eyes 91

Medical Information is no Longer Private 92

Privacy Issues Concern Physicians and Patients 93

Protecting Data with a Secure Network 94

Malware 95

Automatic Log-off 95

Theft of Removable Media 95

US Federal Regulations Regarding Privacy (HIPAA) 96

The Privacy Rule 97

The European Union on Privacy 97

The Internet 99

Email 101

Case Study: CVS 103

Key Points 104

References and Notes 105

7 Medicating Your Patients 107

Medication Error 107

Electronic Prescribing (E-Prescribing) 108

Case Scenario #1 108

Case Scenario #2 109

Patient Information and Collaborative Drug Therapy 111

Hospital Policies 112

Confusion in the Naming of Drugs 113

Adherence 115

Online Pharmacies 116

Direct-to-Consumer Advertising 118

Resources for Safe Healthcare and Medication Advice 118

Key Points 119

References and Notes 120

8 All About Money 121

How We Measure Healthcare Costs 121

The Underinsured and the Uninsured 123

Controlling Health Expenses with Information Technology 126

Consumer Directed Health Plans (CDHP) 127

Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRA) 128

Health Savings Account (HSA) 128

Pay-for-Performance (P4P) 129

Key Points 130

References and Notes 131

9 The Quality Quotient 133

A Broken System 134

Why Quality is so Hard to Achieve 135

Health Information Technology 135

Evidence-Based Healthcare Delivery 137

Quality Initiatives Require Change 138

Lessons Learned 140

Resources 140

The EHealth Initiative 141

Bridges to Excellence 141

Cardiac Care Link (CCL) 142

The Leapfrog Group 142

The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) 142

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations' (JCAHO) 143

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) 143

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award 144

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) 145

Key Points 146

References and Notes 147

10 Heathcare 2020 149

A Portrait 149

Devices and Enablers 152

Personal Digital Assistants and Smart Phones 152

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) 152

Robots 153

Telemedicine 153

Decision Support and Evidenced-Based Medicine 154

Surgery 154

Personalized Medicine 155

Virtual Reality 156

The Practice of Medicine in Healthcare 2020 156

Key Points 158

References and Notes 159.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781848823549

1848823541

OCLC:

295001006