Health Information Exchange for Behavioral and Physical Health

Butler, M. (2015). Mastering the Inbox Information Era: Patient-Generated Data and Mobile Health are changing the Management of Health Information. Journal of AHIMA, 86(9), 18-21.
Byrd, James Brian, et al. ""Data quality of an electronic health record tool to support VA cardiac catheterization laboratory quality improvement: the VA Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking System for Cath Labs (CART) program."" Journal of AHIMA 165 (20), 434-440.
Callan, K., Fuller, J. C., Galterio, L., Just, B. H., Reich, K. A., Steigerwald, C., ... & Rhodes, H. B. (2014). Making Health Information Exchange Work: HIOs Currently Not Ready to Support the Information Needs of a Reformed Healthcare System—But Small Changes Offer Big Outcomes. Journal of AHIMA, 85(11), 32-36.
Desai, A. (2015). Scanning the HIM Environment: AHIMA’s 2015 Report Offers Insight on Emerging Industry Trends and Challenges. Journal of AHIMA, 86(5), 38-43.
Lardiere, M. R. (2013). Unlocking and sharing behavioral health records: movement emerges to exchange sensitive records through HIEs. Journal of AHIMA, 84(4), 36-40.

Selected Article

Lardiere, M. R. (2013). Unlocking and sharing behavioral health records: movement emerges to exchange sensitive records through HIEs. Journal of AHIMA, 84(4), 36-40.

Information Gleaned

The article is based on a report by the John Hopkins University research that found there was growing needs to share behavioral and physical health data. Comprehensive health care in the two industry can be better achieved if information regarding patient symptoms or progress of the healing process is shared. One aspect of the article provides a paradigm is the revelation that facilities which fail to share and document patient information experience higher incidences of readmissions compared to those which readily share information. The primary intent of the program is to facilitate the exchange of information between providers by exposing them to the dynamics of the specific conditions. The program is essential because it is going to achieve basic objectives of the Centre of Medicare and Medicaid strategic goals of better health, care and lowers cost (Callan, Fuller, Galterio, Just, Reich, Steigerwald & Rhodes, 2014).
Behavioral health providers are denied access to the health information exchange (HIE), yet Community Referral and Care Coordination recognize the need for information sharing to foster patient care among providers. The article provides that behavioral and physical health should be allowed access to HIE to improve care like their medical counterparts. The article further provides a position that is likely to cause an ethical dilemma in the cause of practice. Behavioral health includes handling private and confidential information which is protected by the code and standards of practice. However, the John Hopkins report indicates that the facilities that separate patient information is a disservice to the patient. The article indicates that sharing information in behavioral health is important for improving care.

Basis of the Article Authority

The article is based on opinions developed from a descriptive analysis of research data from various sources. For instance, the John Hopkins University report was the primary authority that Lardiere utilize in the article to propose his position on the issue. Many programs by the health organization including the Department of veterans and Office of the National Coordinator for Health standards and interoperability have been used to describe the lack of a standard metadata have not been established. Furthermore, the author of the article provides systematic changes and development in the Health Information Exchange (HIE) to derive at the opinion that the behavioral and physical health segment of health care also deserves to subscribe to the program as well (Lardiere, 2013). The article is a qualitative evaluation of facts and research information to reach the opinion that health and physical providers need to be allowed to access the HIE program to foster patient care.

Additional Studies on this Topic

The article has suggested further evaluation of the ethical, privacy and confidentiality issues the HIE program could bring in the behavioral and physical health sector. It suggests a study to improve and facilitate patient consent to information shared. For instance, the author suggests the use of secure messaging as a strategy to protect the privacy of patient information. However, standardization of ethical and information sharing policies is a topic of debate that should be further analyzed to enhance HIE. The benefits of sharing information about the progress of patient are necessary because each patient presents a unique case despite the general approach in providing care (Byrd, Vigen, Plomondon, Rumsfeld, Box, Fihn & Maddox, 2013). It also suggests a paradigm in the interpretation of standards like 42 CFR on ""To whom"" clause. In general, the author notes that standards that support HIE are scattered and need to be realigned to support information exchange among the behavioral and physical health providers.

References

Byrd, James Brian, et al. ""Data quality of an electronic health record tool to support VA cardiac catheterization laboratory quality improvement: the VA Clinical Assessment, Reporting, and Tracking System for Cath Labs (CART) program."" Journal of AHIMA 165 (20), 434-440.
Callan, K., Fuller, J. C., Galterio, L., Just, B. H., Reich, K. A., Steigerwald, C., ... & Rhodes, H. B. (2014). Making Health Information Exchange Work: HIOs Currently Not Ready to Support the Information Needs of a Reformed Healthcare System—But Small Changes Offer Big Outcomes. Journal of AHIMA, 85(11), 32-36.
Lardiere, M. R. (2013). Unlocking and sharing behavioral health records: movement emerges to exchange sensitive records through HIEs. Journal of AHIMA, 84(4), 36-40.