Week 5 Discussion Questions

DISCUSSION QUESTION 1

What are the future trends in health care finance technology in physician ordering and integrated medical records?

The shift to electronic health records has already taken off in a big way, but even then there is plenty that needs to be done.  This is because the task at hand is quite huge and can only be completed if the necessary financial and logistical support is made available to all of the involved parties.  However, nobody is showing signs of fatigue because it is being anticipated that when the shift to digitization is over, it will result in huge savings, as $140 billion every year.  Savings that are as high as ten percent of the total national health spending provides enough motivation and encouragement to all those involved. 

With increased digitization, it has now become easier to manage medical records that have become more comprehensive and include everything from patient information to diagnostic care and prescription data.  As of now, electronic medical records are being used for a wide variety of purposes such as for getting multiple views on diagnostic care and treatment, for assessing preventive measures for various illnesses, and for diagnostic care and treatment, for assessing preventive measures for various illnesses, and for assessing the outcome of clinical trials and research.  They are also being used for assessing eligibility for health insurance plans, claims settlements, and financial lending.  Apart from these, electronic medical records are helping medical research organizations to keep a tab on common ailments and their prevalence in specific areas such as county, state, national and international levels.  

With mandated policies on storing, accessing, sharing and distributing electronic medical records, the medical records management costs have certainly increased.  However, not everybody is complaining because the overall value of derived benefits far exceeds the costs.  Moreover, since the option to...