Communication Paper

My paper on my life

Communication Paper

Darlene Broussard

HCS/490

December 17, 2012

Communication Paper

The use of technology for the communication and storage of medical information has experienced a significant increase over the past several years due to many benefits experienced. The ability to maintain patient information and health data electronically can increase the convenience and feasibility of health care administration for practitioners and patients (Freeman, 2006). The reduction of repetitive tests, cross checking, and collaboration of collected data could help eliminate human errors associated with diagnosis and prescriptions (Fricke, 2008). Increased operational efficiencies could control costs, expedite insurance claims and reimbursements, and ultimately have a positive effect on shareholder value (Lowder, 2008). However, these benefits are drawn with the inclusion of many risks. For instance, the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of patient data may be at risk when stored on a web server, and the privacy of the patient’s health information could be compromised. Confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information may also become issues if the electronic storage systems are unreliable, breached, or not kept up to date. Norberg, Horne, and Horne (2007) contend that the consumer’s sense of personal privacy will continue to deteriorate unless they have a good understanding of how their information is being collected, used, and stored.

Our world has been radically transformed by digital technology, smart phones, tablets, and web-enabled devices have transformed our daily lives and the way we communicate. Medicine is an information rich enterprise. A greater and more seamless flow of information within a digital health care infrastructure created by electronics health records (EHRs) encompasses and leverages digital progress and can transform the way care is delivered and compensated. With EHRs...