Health Management Information System

Components

5 major components
An understanding of the HMIS begins with differentiating among its five major components and their interrelationships:
1. Data/information/knowledge component 2. Hardware/software/network component 3. Process/task/system component 4. Integration/interoperability component 5. User/administration/management component

Data/information/knowledge component

Introduction
The data/information/knowledge component forms the central core, the content, of all HMIS. It encompasses the specification of, organization on, and interrelationship among data, information, and knowledge elements required of integrated HMIS.

Information System
Raw data form the basic building blocks for generating useful information that is to be stored in any HMIS Processed data are transformed into information that serves as useful out-put for HMIS end-users to make informed and intelligent decisions.

Examples of data
Some pieces of data about your child may be that of his or her demographics or the medication that he or she is allergic to (e.g., penicillin) Another example would be his or her childhood vaccination records. Here, the data would be immunization dates and type. Putting all these data together to form a view of a childs immunization schedule derives information. Determining whether the child is due for a vaccine requires knowledge, specifically, the captured experience and knowledge of the attending physician, which could further be stored and recorded into existing HMIS and passed on to another care provider for future care delivery.

Structures needed
The combination of effective data, information, and knowledge resource management involves:
designing the critical databases and instituting various:
intelligent data-mining algorithms rule engines and online analytical processing (OLAP) tools to manage the increasingly complex and information-intensive care decision situations physicians are facing in this day and age.

Hardware/software/network component

Introduction
The next critical component within information systems, aside from the information core, is the technology layer. Here, the hardware/software/network component features prominently as it entails the choice deployment of various information and computing-related technologies to support HMIS applications and use. Briefly, this component involves configuring various hardware, software, user interface, and communicationenabling infra-structures, associated devices, and applications in such a way as to best achieve efficient and effective information services integration throughout while connecting individuals, groups, and organizations.

 It would be important to ensure that all connected devices can access the HMIS applications seamlessly Better yet, these devises can access an adapted version of an application customized to a device platform In this sense, for any healthcare organization, the technology layer must be supportive of the people (internal users), aiding the performance of tasks to be accomplished by these users and helping them to thrive in the resulting technology-driven environment

 Furthermore, new and emerging HMIS technologies and methods play an increasingly significant role in enhancing healthcare organizational delivery of patient carerelated services. This brings us to the third basic HMIS component.

Process/task/system component

 The process/task/system component exemplifies the routine and internalized driving engine for HMIS Here, our focus should be on the cohesion to be achieved within established local processes, tasks, and applications

 In other words, existing administrative-based HMIS, such as:

financial information systems human resources information systems facility utilization and scheduling systems materials management systems facilities management systems and office automation systems as well as clinical-based HMIS applications such as:
EHR CPOE and CDSS

must be designed to collect relevant data and accumulate useful information for organizational task-processing and decisionmaking activities

 It is possible, too, that over time organizational structural and procedural changes and/or regulatory changes may require certain different routine processes that have been instituted previously to be changed or completely deleted, yielding room to new processes, tasks, and applications Therefore, a systems perspective is critical in order to achieve optimal functionality among the different task processes and applications.

EHR
Electronic Health Records An electronic health record (EHR) (also electronic patient record (EPR) or computerized patient record) is an evolving concept defined as a systematic collection of electronic health information about individual patients or populations. It is a record in digital format that is capable of being shared across different health care settings, by being embedded in network-connected enterprise-wide information systems Such records may include a whole range of data in comprehensive or summary form, including demographics, medical history, medication and allergies, immunization status, laboratory test results, radiology images, vital signs, personal stats like age and weight, and billing information. Its purpose can be understood as a complete record of patient encounters that allows the automation and streamlining of the workflow in health care settings and increases safety through evidence-based decision support, quality management, and outcomes reporting.

A Sample Abstract for a Computerized Patient Medical Record System

CDSS
Clinical decision support system (CDSS or CDS) is an interactive decision support system (DSS) Computer Software, which is designed to assist physicians and other health professionals with decision making tasks, as determining diagnosis of patient data A working definition has been proposed by Dr. Robert Hayward of the Centre for Health Evidence; "Clinical Decision Support systems link health observations with health knowledge to influence health choices by clinicians for improved health care This definition has the advantage of simplifying Clinical Decision Support to a functional concept.

CPOE definition
Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) Also sometimes referred to as Computerized Provider Order Entry Is a process of electronic entry of medical practitioner instructions for the treatment of patients (particularly hospitalized patients) under his or her care These orders are communicated over a computer network to the medical staff or to the departments (pharmacy, laboratory, or radiology) responsible for fulfilling the order

CPOE definition (cont.)

Although manufacturers use the term Computerized Physician Order Entry, a more accurate term would be Computerized Prescriber Order Entry or Computerized Pharmacist Order Entry Order Entry is in the domain of the pharmacist because it is the pharmacist's responsibility to verify any entry into the system concerning the use of medications within the hospital or health care system Order clarification requests will be enhanced by improved communication and collaboration amongst the health care team CPOE is a form of Patient Management Software (PMS).

CPOE Advantages
Decreases delay in order completion Reduces errors related to handwriting or transcription Allows order entry at point-of-care or off-site, provides error-checking for duplicate or incorrect doses or tests, and simplifies inventory and posting of charges

CPOE Features
Features of the ideal computerized physician order entry system (CPOE) include: Ordering :
Physician orders are standardized across the organization, yet may be individualized for each doctor or specialty by using order sets. Orders are communicated to all departments and involved caregivers, improving response time and avoiding scheduling problems and conflict with existing orders.

Patient-centered decision support:

The ordering process includes a display of the patient's medical history and current results and evidence-based clinical guidelines to support treatment decisions. Often uses medical logic module and/or Arden syntax to facilitate fully integrated Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS).

Patient safety features:

The CPOE system allows real-time patient identification, drug dose recommendations, adverse drug reaction reviews, and checks on allergies and test or treatment conflicts. Physicians and nurses can review orders immediately for confirmation.

CPOE Features
Intuitive Human interface
The order entry workflow corresponds to familiar "paper-based" ordering to allow efficient use by new or infrequent users.

Regulatory compliance and security

Access is secure, and a permanent record is created, with electronic signature.

Portability
The system accepts and manages orders for all departments at the point-of-care, from any location in the health system (physician's office, hospital or home) through a variety of devices, including wireless PCs and tablet computers.

Management
The system delivers statistical reports online so that managers can analyze patient census and make changes in staffing, replace inventory and audit utilization and productivity throughout the organization. Data is collected for training, planning, and root cause analysis for patient safety events.

Billing
Documentation is improved by linking diagnoses (ICD-9-CM or ICD-10-CM codes) to orders at the time of order entry to support appropriate charges.

CPOE Risks
CPOE presents several possible dangers by introducing new types of errors. Prescriber and staff inexperience may cause slower entry of orders at first, use more staff time, and is slower than person-to-person communication in an emergency situation Physician to nurse communication can worsen if each group works alone at their workstations Automation causes a false sense of security, a misconception that when technology suggests a course of action, errors are avoided These factors contributed to an increased mortality rate in the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh's Pediatric ICU when a CPOE systems was introduced.

CPOE Risks
In other settings, shortcut or default selections can override non-standard medication regimens for elderly or underweight patients, resulting in toxic doses Frequent alerts and warnings can interrupt work flow, causing these messages to be ignored or overridden due to alert fatigue. CPOE and automated drug dispensing was identified as a cause of error by 84% of over 500 health care facilities participating in a surveillance system by the United States Pharmacopoeia. Introducing CPOE to a complex medical environment requires ongoing changes in design to cope with unique patients and care settings, close supervision of overrides caused by automatic systems, and training, testing and re-training all users.

CPOE implementation
CPOE systems can take years to install and configure Despite ample evidence of the potential to reduce medication errors, adoption of this technology by doctors and hospitals in the United States has been slowed by resistance to changes in physician's practice patterns, costs and training time involved, and concern with interoperability and compliance with future national standards

Integration/interoperability component

 Surely, the integration/interoperability component is a key determinant of HMIS success from an enterprise view Often, the key to positioning todays healthcare services organizations for future success is the interoperability of systems used in managing existing and ongoing healthcare information services vis--vis its competitive marketplace environment.

 The interoperability for much of the computerized information processing within the organizational framework must be upheld both internally and externally to achieve efficient, effective, and excellent delivery of healthcare services This requires not only an elaborate understanding of evolving technological innovations and changing needs in organizational task processes, but also knowledge of the market structure and changing characteristics of the healthcare services industry and how the different current systems should be designed to fit well with every other HMIS application to achieve an integrated, enterprise wide HMIS.

 In fact, as early as 1980, Lincoln and Korpman recognized the difficulties with computer applications in healthcare services delivery. In their classic paper, Computers, Healthcare, and Medical Information Science, they argued that the goals for medical information science, although easy to state, are difficult to achieve for several reasons First, adapting well-tested information processing procedures and methods from other fields into medicine is difficult because of the uncertainty and sophistication surrounding the medical context; the wide spectrum of medical data; and the vagueness, disparity, and variation of organizational healthcare objectives. Second, this difficulty is further exacerbated by the apparent dissonance between the often-embedded ambiguity in medical data structure and the rigidity of computer logic structure. Specifically, in medicine, the materials cover the entire range of patient care data and the methods used span a wide range of disciplines, including the management, behavioral, and fundamental sciences, not just information processing and communications.

User/administration/management component

 The final but most critical HMIS component: the users The user/administration/management component brings together and intelligently coordinates all of the other HMIS components Based on a shared technological infrastructure, for example, various users are, in turn, empowered to perform designated tasks and activities that will support the overall business goals of the organizationthat is, to serve their clients both inside and outside the organization in the most efficient, productive, and effective manner The function of this critical user component, when blended appropriately with all the other HMIS components, is to engender a holistic conceptualization that absorbs the many insights and interactions inherent in any organizational HMIS endeavor

Health Management Information System

Basic Functions

Basic Functions of a Health Management Information System

Bibliography
Joseph Tan, Fay Patton. Adaptive Health Management Information Systems 3rd edition, Jones and Bartlett Publishers