Question

Background: Island Palms General Hospital (IPGH) is in the process of joining BeachNet—a health information exchange (HIE) organization in the community. IPGH will need to incorporate new policies and procedures for governing health information that will be exchanged with BeachNet. Instructions: You work at IPGH and have been asked to chair the Information Governance Steering Committee. Using correct grammar and complete sentences, please respond to the following: 1. Identify the characteristics of health information exchange organizations. 2. Explore the relationship of information governance (IG) to HIE organizations. What concerns do you have regarding information sharing? 3. Which organizational stakeholders would you recommend be on the IG team/council? 4. You are revising your department’s strategic plan to include IG and HIE organizations. What goals would you include for those strategies? 5. Defend the position that information is an organizational strategic asset. 6. Explain the importance of having an information governance plan in place to manage an organization’s information assets.

Answer 1

1. HIE organisations enable the patients and the healthcare professionals to conveniently access and share the information related to patient's medical records electronically in safe and secure manner, leading to safe exchange of data and resulting in timely, efficient and improved patient care.

2.Information governance establishes a framework for safe, secure and systematic storage of defined sets of information with defined responsibilities of individuals managing them according to a pre defined procedure that enables the storage, retrieval, confidentiality and transmission of information safe, secure and convenient. An effective information governance facilitates relationship with HIEs to make the information exchange seamless, hassle free and safe, leading to improved customer service and outcome.

Security and confidentiality of patient data is major concerns while infromation sharing.

3. An IG team should comprise of representatives of data users ( operations people), Finance and accounting team , data storage team, information security team, those dealing with external partners, members of regulatory bodies and other stakeholders.

4. Goals for inclusion of IG and HIE organisations.

(a) Connectivity to healthcare ecosystem for better industry information.

(b) Improved patient outcomes and improvement in brand value of the organisation.

(c) Efficient and secure management and exchange of patient information.

(d) Establishing standard operating procedures for various practices with defined responsibilities, leading to improved performance.