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Communications and Networking

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Communications and Networking
IST 304 Communications and Networking
Summer 2013

Research Paper
Looking ahead; secure data transmission in the era of HIE with the view to enhance health care efficiency

Abstract
Health information exchange (HIE) is the driving force behind the mobilization of electronic health data across hospitals, laboratories and public health agencies. The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act has provided financial incentives which enable the adoption of HIE as well as help in the implementation of meaningfully useful Electronic Health Records (EHRs) in the view to facilitate significant improvements in healthcare quality and efficiency. Although HIEs provide benefits specific for individual patients when transitioning through different care providers it also has a broader potential to transform population health, by analyzing secondary data captured through EHRs, clinical systems and laboratory systems. In the midst of the large volume of data transfer, potential non-secure health data transmission could leave sensitive health information open for access and prone to malicious use if current health security policies do not update their procedures for handling protected health information (PHI) in the era of HIE. This paper proposes a model of HIE which has identified the major components in HIE through literature review, with the view to promote secure health data transmission and increased efficiency in the current US health system.

Introduction
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) act, under a provision of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has created a variety of incentives to promote the adoption of information technology to advance federal, state and regional health information exchange (Blumenthal, 2010, p.383). Health information exchange (HIE) is potentially, the seamless exchange of electronic health information across health care clinicians


References: Adjerid, I., & Padman, R. (2011). Impact of health disclosure laws on health information exchanges. AMIA ...Annual Symposium Proceedings / AMIA Symposium.AMIA Symposium, 2011, 48-56. Ben-Assuli, O., Shabtai, I., & Leshno, M Benefits of EHRs.(2013) Retrieved from http://www.healthit.gov/providers- professionals/improved-diagnostics-patient-outcomes Blumenthal, D HL7 e-learning Course: Introduction to Healthcare, 2010 Retrieved from: http://hl7fundamentals.org/campus/file.php/2/unit_01/reading_material/MODULE_I_UNIT_01_EN_V01.2.pdf Li, M., Yu, S., Zheng, Y., Ren, K., & Lou, W Office of the National Coordinator. (2009). American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009. Office of the National Coordinator (2012) SNOMED-CT, Annual Activity Report, May, 2010 ; Retrieved from: URL:http://www.ihtsdo.org/snomed-ct/ Stark, M Steinbrook, R. (2009). Health care and the american recovery and reinvestment act. The New England Journal of Medicine, 360(11), 1057-1060. doi:10.1056/NEJMp0900665 United States House of Representatives & Senate Whiddett, R., Hunter, I., Engelbrecht, J., & Handy, J. (2006). Patients ' attitudes towards sharing their health information. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 75(7), 530-541.
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