Standardized Terminology and Language in Informatics
Discussion
Meaningful use was created by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009, which allocated approximately $800 billion to create jobs in the US. The ARRA’s original purpose was not to focus on the efficiency of physicians or services rendered to patients but on helping the economy recover. Hence, $35 billion was set aside for payment for eligible professors who demonstrated the use of a qualified EHR in a meaningful manner. The $35 billion incentive was supposed to help in commencing the use of technology in the field of healthcare while simultaneously creating thousands of jobs in technology (Hebda, Hunter, & Czar 2019).
Technology plays an important part in healthcare. One major advancement in healthcare is the use of EHRs. Meaningful use implies that EHR technology is used in a meaningful manner and ensures that the sharing of health information is done to improve patient care. The CDC has set five health outcomes pillars that support the concept of meaningful use. These pillars include: engaging the patients as well as their kin, ensuring the privacy of patient health information, improving public health, improving care coordination, and improving the efficiency, safety, and quality of care while simultaneously reducing health disparities.
At my workplace, meaningful use outlines performance thresholds the organization strives to meet. As an eligible provider, the responsibility to meet each measure is on the organization. When all the relevant measures are met, the organization qualifies as a meaningful user. However, when one measure is not met, the provider does not get the incentive, or it may have a negative payment adjustment by Medicare, which as of 2017, was -3 percent. The best-performing provider can receive up to 10 percent in Medicare payment increases. The organization I work for strives to meet its goals because failure to do so may result in encountering issues with other physicians in the healthcare network (Rathert et al., 2019).
References
Hebda, T., Hunter, K., & Czar, P. (2019). Handbook of informatics for nurses & healthcare professionals (6th ed.).
Rathert, C., Porter, T. H., Mittler, J. N., & Fleig-Palmer, M. (2019). Seven years after Meaningful Use: Physicians’ and nurses’ experiences with electronic health records. Health care management review, 44(1), 30-40.
Responses
Responding to Cassia Filoco
Hello Cassia,
Great post! I agree with you that usability is one of the cornerstones of efficient, effective, and meaningful healthcare technology implementation, like EHR. Undoubtedly, usability is one of the mainstays of human-computer interaction, a field solely dedicated to learning how technology better serves the intended purpose. This statement literarily means that any healthcare technology created must be able to interact well with the end-users, including nurses, physicians, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, and so on. It makes no sense to design and implement a complex technology that nurses might find trouble comprehending and using in the field, perhaps because they do not understand the terminologies, abbreviations, etc. Making such a mistake will affect the technology’s overall effectiveness, efficiency, and impact, potentially leading to medical errors (Abugabah & Alfarraj, 2015). I think one way of keeping users (healthcare providers) in mind during the design phase is incorporating their views, feelings, environment, language abbreviations, and standards into the new program being developed.
References
Abugabah, A. J., & Alfarraj, A. (2015). Issues to consider in designing health care information systems: A user-centered design approach. Electronic Journal of Health Informatics, 9(1).
Responding to Maria Temidis
Hello Maria,
Great post! I also think it is time we end the notion of classifying nurses as second fiddle to physicians. Nurses are not mere assistants to doctors! This has traditionally created a wide pay gap between the two most important healthcare providers, and the main reason is perhaps that there has been no specific standard for rating and classifying the work done by nurses – which is unquestionably a lot. I share your opinion that the Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC) model will give nurses an upper hand in bargaining for better compensation. The University of Iowa College of Nursing (n.d.) defines NIC as a standardized, all-around, and evidence-based classification of the roles and interventions that nurses carry out. Sincerely speaking, nurses are exposed more than any other healthcare worker to all sorts of infections because they are constantly in touch with patients. For example, it is estimated that nearly 1,500 nurses in 44 countries have succumbed to the COVID-19 pandemic worldwide (International Council of Nurses, 2020). Nurses deserve better!
References
International Council of Nurses. (2020). ICN confirms 1,500 nurses have died from COVID-19 in 44 countries and estimates that healthcare worker COVID-19 fatalities worldwide could be more than 20,000. Retrieved from https://www.icn.ch/news/icn-confirms-1500-nurses-have-died-covid-19-44-countries-and-estimates-healthcare-worker-covid
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Question
Standardized Terminology and Language in Informatics
Week 3 Discussion Standardized Terminology and Language in Informatics
Purpose
This week’s graded discussion topic relates to the following Course Outcomes (COs).
- CO3 Define standardized terminology that reflects nursing’s unique contribution to patient outcomes. (PO 3)
- CO8 Discuss the value of best evidence as a driving force to institute change in delivery of nursing care. (PO 8)
Due Date
- During the assigned week (Sunday the start of the assigned week through Sunday, the end of the assigned week):
- Posts in the discussion at least two times, and
- Posts in the discussion on two different days
Points Possible
- 50 points
Directions
- Discussions promote dialogue between faculty, students, and students and their peers. In discussions, students:
- Demonstrate understanding of concepts for the week
- Integrate outside scholarly sources when required
- Engage in meaningful dialogue with classmates and/or instructor
- Express opinions clearly and logically in a professional manner
- Use the rubric on this page as you compose your answers.
- Best Practices include:
- Participation early in the week is encouraged to stimulate meaningful discussion among classmates and instructors.
- Enter the discussion often during the week to read and learn from posts.
- Select different classmates for your reply each week.
Discussion Question
Standardized Terminology and Language in Informatics is an important part of healthcare. Nurses and healthcare workers need to understand and be able to communicate clearly.
Please select one of the following options and discuss your understanding of the role in healthcare and its potential impact on your practice.
- Usability
- Integration
- Interface
- Interoperability
- Meaningful Use
- Reimbursement from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) payment
- NANDA
- NIC/NOC
Grading
To view the grading criteria/rubric, please click on the 3 dots in the box at the end of the solid gray bar above the discussion board title and then Show Rubric. See Syllabus for Grading Rubric Definitions.