Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, review the following: 

• Textbook Chapter 2: Electronic Health Record Systems
• Textbook Chapter 3: Role of HCIS in Improving Healthcare Delivery
• Article: “The digitization of patient care: A review of the effects of electronic health records on health care quality and utilizationLinks to an external site.”
• Article: “Population health management of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol via a remote, algorithmic, navigator-executed programLinks to an external site.”
• Article: “A local perspective into electronic health record design, integration, and implementation of screening and referral for social determinants of healthLinks to an external site.”
• Article: “Transforming primary care in New York through patient-centered medical homes: Findings from qualitative researchLinks to an external site.”
• Video: How technology is helping (and hurting) health careLinks to an external site.

Part 1
A medical record is a history of a patient’s health recorded when they seek medical treatment in a medical practice, hospital, or other health care facility. In the past, medical records were created, maintained, and stored on paper. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act of 2009, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), established programs to improve health care quality, safety, and efficiency by promoting health information technology to secure electronic health information.

In Part 1 of your initial post:

• Explain the differences and similarities among electronic medical records, electronic health records, and personal health records.
• Select three (out of eight) electronic health records functions described in Chapter 2 of the required text. Include your rationale for why they are more important than the other five functions.

Part 2 
A health care information system (HCIS) is a set of technical, organizational, and behavioral components and procedures to organize and generate information that enables the creation of better health management decisions. An HCIS can also be defined as the interactions among people, processes, and technology that support procedures and management decisions in delivering quality health care services in the health system. The information system in health care organizations, like in hospitals, is very complex. HCIS capabilities vary widely and include functionalities that support the quality of hospital discharge, patient engagement, public health reporting of immunizations, disease surveillance, specialized registries, and sharing clinical information electronically with patients and providers inside and outside of hospital systems. An efficient and flexible information system is important in improving the quality of care, patient safety, and the financial health of organizations.

Based on the first letter of your last name, examine the role of health care information systems in your assigned health care entity or program, and address the requirements listed below.

If the first letter of your last name begins with-My first letter to my last name begins with a C.

• A through G, complete accountable care organizations.
• H through M, complete patient-centered medical homes.
• N through S, complete population health management.
• T through Z, complete a quality improvement initiative (e.g., value-based purchasing program, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Triple Aim framework, etc.)

In Part 2 of your initial post:

• Describe your assigned health care entity or program.  
• Identify one specific health information technology (HIT) in your assigned health care entity or program.
• Explain how your identified HIT should be used and support your claims with at least one peer-reviewed journal published in the last five years.
• Assess the impacts on patient care, accreditation, and financial status if the health care organization does not have an effective HCIS.

Your initial post (Parts 1 and 2) should be at least 500 words. Support your response with a minimum of two scholarly sources that were published in the last five years. The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. Here is a link to the APA StyleLinks to an external site. in the Writing CenterLinks to an external site..