Question

Electronic health records (EHRs) are being instituted at Pleasant Valley Hospital. Some of the staff on Unit 4 complain to the manager that acquiring the technologic skills required is too time consuming. They question its value in patient care. The manager responds that:

1) The use of technology is inevitable in our technologically oriented society.
2) The hospital is no longer able to find the space to accommodate paper record keeping.
3) The initiative is being driven by decision makers higher up in the hierarchy and there is no choice.
4) EHRs will increase effectiveness of care by enhancing coordination and improving patient outcomes.

Answer 1

Developing policies for electronic health records must balance patient privacy, healthcare costs, and patient care quality. Key questions include how to protect privacy, balance costs with care quality, and improve outcomes without compromising individual privacy.

Step-by-step explanation:

The concerns about electronic health records (EHRs) at Pleasant Valley Hospital address various aspects of healthcare administration and patient privacy. When developing policies for EHRs, it is crucial to consider several factors. Here are three questions that play a key role in policy development:

1. How can we ensure patient privacy is protected while allowing for the efficient sharing of EHRs between healthcare providers?
2. What mechanisms will be put in place to balance the cost of healthcare with the quality of patient care facilitated by the use of EHRs?
3. In what ways can EHRs improve patient outcomes without imposing significant risks to individual privacy?

Additionally, it's important to recognize how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has mandated the switch to EHRs in an effort to reduce administrative costs and better manage healthcare expenses. This switch reflects broader trends in healthcare towards efficiency and standardization, including the consolidation of providers and the utilization of telemedicine and artificial intelligence.