response to students posts

 Outline on Talking Points for the Advocacy letter for HITECH ACT of 2009

• Explanation of the Act :

  The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act 0f 2009 provides Health and Human Service with authority to establish programs to improve health care quality, safety, and efficiency by promoting health IT, including electronic health records and private and secure electronic health information exchange (Health IT legislation 21st Century Cures Act, 2021).

• Problem Statement :

  Some companies health care workers still use paper charting for nursing notes or health care documentation. This Act should be modified and stated all health care organizations are oblige to use Electronic Health Record, it should not be elective because its usage has beneficial effects

• Legislators representing  Texas or Fort Bend District:

• • Texas Sates Senate : Lois Kolkhorst

• • Texas House of Representatives District 28: Gary Gates.
  • US Senate : Senator Ted Cruz (Replublican party), Senator John Cornyn  (Republican Party).
  • US house Texas District 22: Congressman Troyl E. Nehls. He is the most appropriate to receive my letter because he covers the “2^nd congressional District of Texans in U.S House of Representatives, which includes a portion of Fort bend county where I live.

• Federal or state budget impact of your policy.

• • The legislation authorized  “100% federal match for payments to certain qualifying Medicaid providers who acquire and use certified EHR technology… The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that Medicare and Medicaid spending under the HITECH Act will total $32.7 billion over the 2009-2019 period. CBO anticipates, however, that widespread HIT adoption will reduce total spending on health care. Through 2019, CBO estimates that the HITECH Act will save the Medicare and Medicaid programs a total of about $12.5 billion. Under current law, CBO predicts that about 45% of hospitals and 65% of physicians will have adopted HIT by 2019. CBO estimates that the incentive mechanisms in the HITECH Act will boost those adoption rates to about 70% for hospitals and about 90% for physicians (Congressional Reserve Service, 2009).

•  Organizational or community budget impact- Financial Implication of HITECH ACT

• •  The legislative should increase funding for this project

  • stake holders profit would reduce, during periods of no increase in patient ratios, the board might vote against it. Initially, the office budget expenditures would increase, thus reducing the expected profit of shareholders. Still, later provision of adequate health care and good business organization would increase the company profits while lowering their production cost.

•  Advantage of the policy to the health care profession.

• • Provides accurate, up-to-date, and complete information about patients at the point of care.
  • Enabling quick access to patient records for more coordinated, efficient care.
  • Securely sharing electronic communication with patients and other clinicians.
  • Patient data would be accurately documented, and accessibility would speed up and provide timely and efficient care management.
  • Early detection of any new abnormality in a patient’s health deterioration can easily be identified. 
  • EHR  system delivers trustworthy access to finish patient health details, allowing medical doctors to diagnose a lot more accurately and effectively and lower medical errors (6 Striking Benefits of EHR Software for Healthcare Organizations, 2019).
  • Patient output of care would be optimized. For example, early identification in inadequate production recorded on the system can signal an alarm on the E-system, thus helping in the early identification and prevention of an organ failure.  

•  The disadvantage of the policy to the health care profession

• •  Concerns in implementing the Hitech act by health care providers, physicians and hospitals  are that it doesn’t provide the technology needed to develop the IT program, EHR is difficult to use, and lack ability to exchange information with increases in cost (Health Affairs, 2015. para. 8)

• Effect of the policy on patients and their families, including access, finance, and outcomes

• •  Beneficial effects on access for patients and their families.
  • EHR establishes a patients portal, so they have access to their portal.
  • used to communicate patient health history, appointment scheduling, and secure text Communication.
  • EHR creates connectivity between patients and their health care providers and also increases patient participation in their health care management.