As a professional nurse, you are expected to apply your expertise to patient care. On occasion, you will also be expected to share that expertise.
With evolving technology and continuous changes to regulations designed to keep up these changes, there is usually a need to share information and expertise to inform colleagues, leadership, patients, and other stakeholders.
study a recent nursing informatics-related healthcare policy, and you will share the relevant details via a fact sheet designed to inform and educate.
Review the Resources on healthcare policy and regulatory/legislative topics related to health and nursing informatics.
Consider the role of the nurse informaticist in relation to a healthcare organization’s compliance with various policies and regulations, such as the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA).
Research and select one health or nursing informatics policy (within the past 5 years) or regulation for further study.
The Assignment: (1 page not including the title and reference page)
Create a 1-page fact sheet that your healthcare organization could hypothetically use to explain the health or nursing informatics policy/regulation you selected. Your fact sheet should address the following:
Briefly and generally explain the policy or regulation you selected.
Address the impact of the policy or regulation you selected on system implementation.
Address the impact of the policy or regulation you selected on clinical care, patient/provider interactions, and workflow.
Highlight organizational policies and procedures that are/will be in place at your healthcare organization to address the policy or regulation you selected. Be specific.
Full Answer Section
In essence, the rule
prohibits healthcare providers, health IT developers, health information exchanges (HIEs), and health information networks (HINs) from knowingly and unreasonably interfering with the access, exchange, or use of electronic health information (EHI). It identifies specific "exceptions" where information blocking is permissible (e.g., preventing harm, protecting privacy) but emphasizes that information should flow freely to support patient care and innovation.
Impact on System Implementation:
This policy has profound implications for how our health information technology (HIT) systems are designed, configured, and maintained.
- Enhanced Interoperability: System implementations must prioritize seamless data exchange capabilities with other healthcare organizations, HIEs, and patient-facing applications. This means ensuring our EHR and other clinical systems can "speak" to external systems using standardized formats and APIs.
- Data Access for Patients: System design now critically includes robust patient portal functionalities, allowing patients easy and timely access to their full EHI, including clinical notes, lab results, medication lists, and more.
- Vendor Requirements: When selecting and implementing new systems or upgrading existing ones, we must ensure that vendors comply with the information blocking rule, including providing the necessary technical capabilities for data exchange.
- Transparency and Auditability: Systems must have audit trails that can demonstrate compliance with information sharing requests and highlight any instances where information access might have been restricted based on a permissible exception.
Impact on Clinical Care, Patient/Provider Interactions, and Workflow:
The Information Blocking Rule significantly reshapes our daily clinical practice:
- Increased Patient Engagement: Patients now have unprecedented access to their health information, empowering them to be more active participants in their care decisions. Nurses and providers should anticipate patients coming to appointments more informed, potentially with questions derived from reviewing their records.