ehealth Clearinghouse

eHealth FAQs

 

What is eHealth?

eHealth technologies include electronic health records, electronic prescribing, clinical decision support, computerized provider order entry, health information exchange, and telehealth.   

An Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a real-time patient health record with access to evidence-based decision support tools that can be used to aid clinicians in decision-making.  The EHR can automate and streamline a clinician's workflow, ensuring that all clinical information is communicated.  It can also prevent delays in response that result in gaps in care. The EHR can also support the collection of data for uses other than clinical care, such as billing, quality management, outcome reporting, and public health disease surveillance and reporting. (ONC Glossary of Selected Terms)

Electronic Prescribing (eRx) is a type of computer technology whereby physicians use handheld or personal computer devices to review drug and formulary coverage and to transmit prescriptions to a printer or to a local pharmacy.  E-prescribing software can be integrated into existing clinical information systems to allow physician access to patient-specific information to screen for drug interactions and allergies. (ONC Glossary of Selected Terms)

A Decision-Support System (DSS) consists of computer tools or applications to assist physicians in clinical decisions by providing evidence-based knowledge in the context of patient-specific data.  Examples include drug interaction alerts at the time medication is prescribed and reminders for specific guideline-based interventions during the care of patients with chronic disease.  Information should be presented in a patient-centric view of individual care and also in a population or aggregate view to support population management and quality improvement. (ONC Glossary of Selected Terms)

Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) is a computer application that allows a physician's orders for diagnostic and treatment services (such as medications, laboratory, and other tests) to be entered electronically instead of being recorded on order sheets or prescription pads.  The computer compares the order against standards for dosing, checks for allergies or interactions with other medications, and warns the physician about potential problems. (ONC Glossary of Selected Terms)

Health Information Exchange (HIE) is the mobilization of healthcare information electronically across organizations within a region or community.   HIE provides the capability to electronically move clinical information between disparate healthcare information systems while maintaining the meaning of the information being exchanged.  The goal of HIE is to facilitate access to and retrieval of clinical data to provide safer, more timely, efficient, effective, equitable, patient-centered care.  (eHealth Initiative Glossary -- Requires registration)

Telehealth is the use of telecommunications and information technologies to provide healthcare services over distance and/or time, to include diagnosis, treatment, public health, consumer health information, and health professions education. This may be done through real-time or asynchronous exchange of complex data (video, images, audio, etc.). (Minnesota e-Health Glossary of Selected Terms)

To look up more terms, see the following glossaries:

 

What are the benefits of eHealth?

Benefits of eHealth include:

  • Reducing medication errors.  More than 2 million adverse drug events could be prevented through e-prescribing, saving 4.5 billion annually and 190,000 hospitalizations per year. (Hillestad et. al)
  • Reducing health care waste.  Health IT adoption is estimated to save an average of 42 billion annually during a 15-year adoption period. (Hillestad et. al)
  • Facilitating medical research.  Health IT can facilitate research on the effectiveness of new therapies and can accelerate the diffusion of health care knowledge.
  • Reducing variability in healthcare delivery and access.  Disparities exist in access to care and quality of care.  Telehealth can provide access to specialists in rural areas.  The Nebraska Statewide Telehealth Network is one of the nation’s most extensive telehealth networks, connecting nearly all of the state’s hospitals and public health departments.  Clinical decision support systems can improve quality of care by providing treatment reminders at the point of care.  Adults in the U.S. receive only about 55 percent of recommended care for a variety of common conditions. Clinical decision support systems have been shown to increase adherence to recommended care guidelines.
  • Empowering consumer involvement in health management.  Having access to medical histories as well as customized health education and guidance could increase consumer participation in their health maintenance and care. 
  • Improving the identification and reporting of disease outbreaks and other public health threats.   One study found that the use of a county-wide electronic system for public health reporting led to a 29%  increase in cases of shigellosis identified and a 2.5 day decrease in reporting time.  (Chaudry et. al)

Benefits for patients include:

  • Allowing physicians to access the right medical information at the right time.
  • Allowing physicians to share critical health information so they can make decisions that may impact treatment.
  • Ensuring that health care providers have the critical life-saving information they need in times of emergency. 
  • Having access to medical information while traveling or in the event of a natural disaster. 

Sources:

Chaudry, Basit et. al. “Systematic Review: Impact of Health Information Technology on Quality, Efficiency, and Costs of Medical Care.” Annals of Internal Medicine, Volume 144, 2006, pp.742-752.

eHealth Initiative.  “Secure Electronic Health Information Exchange: A Guide for Consumers.” 2006

Health IT FAQs from AHRQ knowledge Library

Hillestad, Richard et.al. "Can Electronic Medical Systems Transform Health Care? Potential Health Benefits, Savings, And Costs." Health Affairs Journal, Volume 24, 2005. Chaudry, Basit et. al.

 

What are the barriers to widespread eHealth adoption? 

The biggest barrier to the widespread adoption of eHealth technologies is the misalignment of benefits and costs.  Providers bear the brunt of the costs for implementing eHealth technologies into their practices, but payers reap most of the benefits.   Other barriers to eHealth adoption include implementation costs, impact on workflow processes, concerns about privacy and security, and a lack of a quantifiable return on investment.    

Sources:

Fonkych, Kateryna and Roger, Taylor. “The State and Pattern of Health Information Technology Adoption.”   RAND.  2005. 

Hillestad, Richard et.al. "Can Electronic Medical Systems Transform Health Care? Potential Health Benefits, Savings, And Costs." Health Affairs Journal, Volume 24, 2005.

What roles do the federal government, state government, health care providers, and local entities have in eHealth adoption?

The federal government has taken the lead in developing standards.  Since most health care is delivered locally or regionally, the adoption of eHealth technologies has been the responsibility of state, regional, and local initiatives.   

When can we expect to see widespread adoption of eHealth technologies? 

President Bush has called for most Americans to have electronic medical records by 2014.  Gartner estimates that that predictable products with a clear value proposition for health information exchange will be available by 2012.  

Source: 

Rishel, Wes. “U.S. RHIOs:  A Hype Cycle Roller Coaster.”  April 27, 2006.  Gartner.

Why was the Nebraska Information Technology Commission’s eHealth Council created?

The Nebraska Information Technology Commission’s eHealth Council was created to foster the collaborative and innovative use of eHealth technologies through partnerships between public and private sectors, and to encourage communication and coordination among eHealth initiatives in Nebraska. 

The eHealth Council is charged with:

  • Reviewing the current status of healthcare information technology adoption by the healthcare delivery system in Nebraska;
  • Addressing potential security, privacy and other issues related to the adoption of interoperable healthcare information technology in Nebraska;
  • Evaluating the cost of using interoperable healthcare information technology by the healthcare delivery system in Nebraska;
  • Identifying private resources and public/private partnerships to fund efforts to adopt interoperable healthcare information technology;
  • Supporting and promoting the use of telehealth as a vehicle to improve healthcare access to Nebraskans; and
  • Recommending best practices or policies for state government and private entities to promote the adoption of interoperable healthcare information technology by the healthcare delivery system in Nebraska.

How can I become involved in the activities of the eHealth Council? 

Please visit the eHealth Council section for information on the activities of the council.  To be placed on the e-mail list to receive meeting notices and other information related to the council, contact Anne Byers by e-mailing anne.byers@cio.ne.gov.

 

 

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