Communication and Technology

Communication & Information Technology Paper

Nakia Spates

HCS/320

July 25, 2012

Tyra Tomlin

Communication & Information Technology Paper

Health care communication, and the reception and delivery of information, has been changed Health a great deal by technology. Medical records technology makes it much easier to communicate the information about a patient from one provider to another. Electronic medical records are very accessible, and so many health care organizations are adding the capability for this kind of system. They know that their employees' ability to use information of this kind will be an important step for their organization and will help them reach their organization's goals. This document will discuss the financial implications of this system on an organization, the system's advantages and disadvantages, how the system affects consumers, how effective the system is, and some possible improvements in the system.

Financial Impact

When an organization adopts a system for electronic medical records, the organization will first feel a financial impact at the time of implementation, and the financial impact will continue through the life of the organization. When the system is first implemented, the software, servers, and computers will all have significant start-up costs. These items need to be purchased, and employees must be trained in how to convert patient information to an electronic form and how to use the new equipment. With these short-term costs, the system will continue to cost an organization over time, because they must retrain employees as the technology changes and improves, store files that hold the patient's information, and hire and keep employees who can process, redesign, and train employees on the way that the system works (Walker, 2005). The system brings financial obligations onto an organization, so...