Partners Healthcare System (Phs): Transforming Health Care Services Delivery Through Information Management

Final Paper

May 20, 2015

Partners Healthcare System (PHS): Transforming Health Care Services Delivery

through Information Management

Executive Summary

Overall, there are two major challenges facing the U.S. health care system:

continuously skyrocketing costs and a lack of quality improvement. One suggestion is

that health care needs to create an integrated electronic medical record (EMR) system

and associated information technology-enabled processes.

Partners Healthcare

System (PHS) maintained a centralized digital records library on its more than 4.6

million patients. These records included doctor’s office visits, hospital based and home

care services and prescription medications. Health care professionals had access to

patient records and were able to provide complete information regarding medical

history, allergies, treatments and other applicable information, all in an accurate and

timely manner. The plan of action was the implementing of the EMR system in order to

reduce time in providing services, which also eliminates the potential for misdiagnosis

thus improvement in quality of care and eventually resulting in reducing healthcare

costs. PHS integrated the EMR system together with a computerized patient order

entry (“CPOE” a.k.a. information technology-enabled process) which informs about

drug and treatment options. The result is healthcare professionals are able to provide

specific therapies for patients provide low-cost options and have access of access to

knowledge for informed patient care.

1

Problem

A study sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences determined that the crisis in

health care delivery was: “not just a matter of the cost of these services but also a

matter of quality.” Within a typical physician practice or hospital, patient information was

not integrated or effectively leveraged to prescribe cost effective therapy. This crisis

could be considered as a consequence of three sets of factors:

a) The...