Health Information Technology Commons^™

Benefits And Barriers For Adoption Of Personal Health Records, Brittany Vance, Brent Tomblin, Jena Studney, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

A Personal Health Record (PHR) is an electronic, universally available, lifelong resource of health information maintained by individuals. There are numerous potential benefits to PHRs, including improved patient-provider relationships, increased patient empowerment, and enhanced care safety, efficiency, coordination, and quality. However, privacy, security, cost, and adoption issues have been significant barriers to implementation. The purpose of this research was to determine how the use of PHRs affects patient outcomes, as well as to analyze benefits and barriers of adoption of PHRs. The methodology for the examination of the benefits and barriers to PHR implementation was conducted following the basic principles …

Use Of Robots On Cardiac Surgery, Heath Ashford, Alex Hunter, Connie Phung, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Surgical robots are computer-assisted electromechanical devices that aid surgeons and are designed to replicate human movements into more steady precise motions, giving more accurate and delicate operations. The purpose of this research was to study the evolution of technical features of surgical robots on cardiology to determine technical advantages and barriers of these technologies. In one study out of all 50 patients that had endoscopic atraumatic coronary artery bypass robotic surgery, 49 reported they would recommend the surgery to another. Features make instrument manipulation more intuitive by eliminating the fulcrum effect, which removes the surgeon from twisting and turning in …

Managed Care And Accountable Care Organizations, David P. Paul, Diego Arroyo, Bethany Daniel, Heather Graves, Krisitn Neal, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Managed care generally, and more specifically, accountable care organizations (ACOs) have attempted to provide coordination of patient care in order to eliminate or reduce unnecessary procedures and or test redundancy. The purpose of this research was to study the effects of managed care in accountable care organizations by decreasing health care costs by increasing efficiency in health care.

Can Utilizing A Computerized Provider Order Entry (Cpoe) System Prevent Hospital Medical Errors And Adverse Drug Events?, Krista Charles Ms, Margaret Cannon Ms, Robert Hall Ms, Alberto Coustasse Drph, Md, Mba, Mph

Management Faculty Research

Computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems allow physicians to prescribe patient services electronically. In hospitals, CPOE essentially eliminates the need for handwritten paper orders and achieves cost savings through increased efficiency. The purpose of this research study was to examine the benefits of and barriers to CPOE adoption in hospitals to determine the effects on medical errors and adverse drug events (ADEs) and examine cost and savings associated with the implementation of this newly mandated technology. This study followed a methodology using the basic principles of a systematic review and referenced 50 sources. CPOE systems in hospitals were found to …

A Business Case For Tele-Intensive Care Units, Alberto Coustasse, Stacie Deslich, Deanna Bailey, Alesia Hairston, David Paul

Management Faculty Research

Objectives: A tele-intensive care unit (tele-ICU) uses telemedicine in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting, applying technology to provide care to critically ill patients by off-site clinical resources. The purpose of this review was to examine the implementation, adoption, and utilization of tele-ICU systems by hospitals to determine their efficiency and efficacy as identified by cost savings and patient outcomes.

Methods: This literature review examined a large number of studies of implementa­tion of tele-ICU systems in hospitals.

Results: The evidence supporting cost savings was mixed. Implementation of a tele- ICU system was associated with cost savings, shorter lengths of stay, …

Personal Health Records: Is Rapid Adpoption Hindering Interoperability?, Jana Studeny, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

The establishment of Meaningful Use criteria has created a critical need for robust interoperability. A universal definition for a Personal Health Records (PHRs) has not been agreed upon. Standardized code sets have been built for specific entities but integration between them has not been supported. The purpose of this research study was to explore the hindrance and promotion of interoperability standards in relationship to PHRs to describe interoperability progress in this area. The methodology for this study was conducted following the basic principles of a systematic review, with 61 articles used for this research study. Lagging interoperability has been stemmed …

Expanding Technology In The Icu: The Case For The Utilization Of Telemedicine, Stacie Deslich, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Introduction: Telemedicine has been utilized in various healthcare areas to achieve better patient outcomes, lower costs of providing services, and increase patient access to care. Tele-intensive care unit (ICU) technology has been introduced as a way to provide effective ICU services to patients with reduced access, as well as to decrease costs and improve patient care.

Materials and Methods: The methodology for this qualitative study was a literature search and review of case studies. The search was limited to sources published in the last 10 years (2003–2013) in the English language. In total, 55 references were used for this research …

Electronic Prescribing: Improving The Efficiency And Accuracy Of Prescribing In The Ambulatory Care Setting, Amber Porterfield, Kate Engelbert, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) is an important part of the nation's push to enhance the safety and quality of the prescribing process. E-prescribing allows providers in the ambulatory care setting to send prescriptions electronically to the pharmacy and can be a stand-alone system or part of an integrated electronic health record system. The methodology for this study followed the basic principles of a systematic review. A total of 47 sources were referenced. Results of this research study suggest that e-prescribing reduces prescribing errors, increases efficiency, and helps to save on healthcare costs. Medication errors have been reduced to as little as …

Reduction Of Intensive Care Unit Length Of Stay: The Case Of Early Mobilization, Alex Hunter, Leslie Johnson, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Bed rest or immobilization is frequently part of treatment for patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) with critical illness. The average ICU length of stay (LOS) is 3.3 days, and for every day spent in an ICU bed, the average patient spends an additional 1.5 days in a non-ICU bed. The purpose of this research study was to analyze the effects of early mobilization for patients in the ICU to determine if it has an impact on the LOS, cost of care, and medical complications. The methodology for this study was a literature review. Five electronic databases were used, …

Does Computerized Physician Order Entry Reduce Medical Errors?, Krista Charles, William K. Willis, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Introduction: Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) is a system that allows physicians to electronically order patient services. The services that can be ordered, but are not limited to include: prescriptions, labs, x-rays, and referrals. Adopting CPOE will eliminate the use of paper orders with illegible hand writing. The purpose of this research project was to examine the cause of medical errors and to determine if adopting a CPOE system would be an effective solution to this problem.

Results: The results of this study show that CPOE can reduce medical errors and adverse drug events significantly. CPOE coupled with other systems …

How Effective Is Capitation At Reducing Health Care Costs?, David P. Paul Iii, Jennifer Brunoni, Tasha Dolinger, Irina Walker, Danielle Wood, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Due to skyrocketing healthcare costs in the U.S., several strategies, including capitation, have been utilized to reduce overall cost. Capitation has helped to contain costs by placing a limit on the amount of reimbursement that is offered to the provider for specific types of patients and care. In order for physicians to improve their profitability under capitation, their practices must become more cost efficient. The purpose of this research was to analyze the effects of capitation on the overall reduction of healthcare cost.

Medical Education, Pdas And Smartphones: Welcome To The 21st Century, David P. Paul, Nicole Moussa, Sara Asad, Brad Pershing, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

PDAs and Smartphones allow medical professionals to access medical information more easily than ever before. This literature review examines use of these devices and associated “apps” in medical education, finding widespread use by medical students, residents, and faculty. Surprisingly, little generational bias was noted.

Physicians, Patients, And Facebook: Could You? Would You? Should You?, Joy Peluchette, Katherine Karl, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

This paper investigates the opinions of physicians and patients regarding the use of Facebook to communicate with one another about health-related issues. We analyzed 290 comments posted on online discussion boards and found that most (51.7%) were opposed to physicians being Facebook “friends” with patients and many (42%) were opposed to physicians having any kind of Facebook presence. The primary reasons for this opposition were concerns about privacy and the need to maintain professional boundaries in the physician-patient relationship. Others expressed concerns about HIPAA violations. Some believed it was acceptable for physicians to use Facebook as long as they were …

Impact Of Radio-Frequency Identification (Rfid) Technologies On The Hospital Supply Chain: A Literature Review, Alberto Coustasse, Shane Tomblin, Chelsea Slack

Management Faculty Research

Supply costs account for more than one-third of the average operating budget and constitute the second largest expenditure in hospitals. As hospitals have sought to reduce these costs, radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology has emerged as a solution. This study reviews existing literature to gauge the recent and potential impact and direction of the implementation of RFID in the hospital supply chain to determine current benefits and barriers of adoption. Findings show that the application of RFID to medical equipment and supplies tracking has resulted in efficiency increases in hospitals with lower costs and increased service quality. RFID technology can reduce …

Telepsychiatry In Correctional Facilities: Using Technology To Improve Access And Decrease Costs Of Mental Health Care In Underserved Populations, Stacie Anne Deslich, Timothy Thistlethwaite, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Objective: It is unclear if telepsychiatry, a subset of telemedicine, increases access to mental health care for inmates in correctional facilities or decreases costs for clinicians or facility administrators. The purpose of this investigation was to determine how utilization of telepsychiatry affected access to care and costs of providing mental health care in correctional facilities.

Methods: A literature review complemented by a semistructured interview with a telepsychiatry practitioner. Five electronic databases, the National Bureau of Justice, and the American Psychiatric Association Web sites were searched for this research, and 49 sources were referenced. The literature review examined implementation of telepsychiatry …

Telepsychiatry In The 21st Century: Transforming Healthcare With Technology, Stacie Deslich, Bruce Stec, Shane Tomblin, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

This article describes the benefits and constraints of telemedicine, focusing primarily on the field of psychiatry in the United States with the current system of healthcare. Telepsychiatry is believed to provide better access and higher-quality care to patients who need psychiatric care and cost savings to providers of such care. Telemedicine has been successfully integrated into psychiatric facilities reaching rural areas, prisons, and urban facilities. It has increased the volume of patients that physicians can reach and diagnose, as well as allowing them to treat patients with limitations in mobility. While telepsychiatry has been shown to be beneficial, this technology …

Adoption Of The Icd-10 Standard In The United States: The Time Is Now, Alberto Coustasse, David P. Paul Iii

Management Faculty Research

The United States is facing a revolution in the health care system soon when the present coding system (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision) will be replaced with what has for some years been the international standard: International Statistical Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10). The ICD-10 system will provide a tremendous opportunity for better capturing information in the increasingly complex delivery of health care. Although the transition to ICD-10 will undoubtedly result in substantial short-term costs, the long-term benefits make the transition imperative.

Importance Of New Technologies For Diabetes Monitoring, David P. Paul Iii, Joey Preast, Zach Garrett, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Diabetes and its ramifications and treatments are presented, followed by discussion of the importance of communication between patient and clinician. Improved communication approaches, including telephone consultations, blood glucose communications to a provider with feedback, and active electronic diaries on smartphones for both type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus, are reviewed.

Icd-10 In The United States: Better Late Than Never, Holly Johns, Cara Havens, Danielle Robinson, Bala S. Pothakamuri, David P. Paul Iii, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

The United States faces a revolution in the healthcare system soon, when the present coding system (ICD-9) will be replaced with what has for some years been the international standard: ICD-10. ICD-10 will provide a tremendous opportunity for better capturing the information in the increasingly complex delivery of healthcare. Although the transition to ICD-10 will undoubtedly result in substantial short-term costs, the long term benefits make the transition imperative.

A Review Of Radio Frequency Identification Technologies And Impacts On The Hospital Supply Chain: 2002–2012, Alberto Coustasse, Shane Tomblin, Chelsea Slack

Management Faculty Research

Supply costs are the second largest expenditure in hospitals, accounting for more than one third of the average operating budget. RFID technology can reduce these costs, improve patient safety, and supply chain management by increasing the ability to track and locate equipment, as well as monitoring theft prevention, distribution management, and patient billing. Findings of this study have shown that the application of RFID on medical equipment and supplies have resulted in efficiency increase in healthcare with lower costs and increased quality services. Even though the cost of RFID implementation is decreasing, the total expenditures are still significant and the …

Computer Physician Order Entry And Clinical Decision Support Systems: Benefits And Concerns, Joseph Shaffer, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Computerized Physician Order Entry has emerged as the greatest potential to decrease medications errors and improve efficiency. A literature review was conducted in systematic stages that included the research data from the last 25 years. Efficiencies were found with a decrease in overall workload of nurses, pharmacists and clerical workers. This led to decreased operating expenses. A secure way of transferring physician orders electronically will help hospitals and physicians practice a more efficient and higher quality of care in the US healthcare system.

Benefits And Constraints Of Telepsychiatry Utilization In The United States, Bruce A. Stec, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

This conference presentation describes the benefits and constraints of utilizing telemedicine primarily focusing on the field of psychiatry in the United States with the current system of healthcare. The utilization of telemedicine in the field of psychiatry is believed to provide better access, quality and care to the patients who necessitate psychiatric care in their overall medical care. Telemedicine has been a successfully integrated program into psychiatric facilities reaching rural, prisons or city facilities based on that it has increased the volume of patients in which physicians can reach out to and diagnose, as well as treat patients with limitations …

The Emergence And Potential Impact Of Medicine 2.0 In The Healthcare Industry, Terra Stump, Sarah Zilch, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Medicine 2.0 has emerged within healthcare information technology to enable more defined relationships among providers and patients. Physicians, hospitals, and patients are using Medicine 2.0 through social networking to maintain their foothold in the evolution of medical technologies. The authors’ purpose was to determine potential improvements that Medicine 2.0 has on communication and collaboration of healthcare information. Research has shown that Medicine 2.0 has integrated into the healthcare industry and is enabling an increase in communication in healthcare matters. The provider-patient relationship is improving through the use of Medicine 2.0 and has positively impacted society so far.

Professionalism And Social Networking: Can Patients, Physicians, Nurses, And Supervisors All Be ‘Friends’?, Joy Peluchette, Katherine Karl, Alberto Coustasse, Philip Rutsohn, Dennis Emmett

Management Faculty Research

This study examines the use of Facebook by certified nurse anesthetist students. Our results showed that, contrary to expectations, most were neutral about faculty, physicians, and supervisors viewing their Facebook profiles but expressed concerns about patients seeing such information. Many (30%) of our respondents had observed unprofessional content posted on the social network sites of their classmates including: intoxication or substance abuse, profanity, sexually suggestive photos or comments, and negative work-related comments. A vast majority indicated they would accept a ‘friend’ request from their supervisor and a physician but not a patient. Surprisingly, about 40% had initiated a ‘friend’ request …

Rfid And Its Impacts To The Hospital Supply Chain, Dan Feng Lu, Hai Do, Anna Jones, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

A radio frequency identification device (RFID) is a type of information technology used to improve supply chain management through an enhanced visualization of products. The RFID market in the U.S healthcare industry has been projected to be approximately $297 million and has been expected to grow at a rapid speed. RFID had a great impact on the hospital supply chain. It has been demonstrated that 30% of large healthcare organization that had IT budgets over $100 million had already deployed RFID technology. RFID is the latest technology to reduce costs by tracking both equipment and employees. This technology can also …

Electronic Medical Records: Is It Working In Long Term Health Care?, Krista Phillips, Chris Wheeler, Josh Campbell, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Long-term care (LTC) facilities possess unique characteristics in terms of implementation and utilization of electronic medical records (EMRs). The focus of LTC is on a population requiring care encompassing all aspects associated with quality of life rather than simply acute treatment. Because this focus is of a larger scale than traditional medical facilities, the priorities in the implementation and utilization of EMRs are higher in accessing patient history information. The purpose of this study was to determine the EMR utilization in the chronic care settings. In conclusion, the literature review performed does not support the fact that EMRs are currently …

Electronic Medical Records In Long-Term Care, Krista Phillips, Chris Wheeler, Josh Campbell, Alberto Coustasse

Management Faculty Research

Long-term care (LTC) facilities possess unique characteristics in terms of implementation and utilization of electronic medical records (EMRs). The focus of LTC is on a population requiring care encompassing all aspects associated with quality of life rather than simply acute treatment. Because this focus is of a larger scale than traditional medical facilities, the priorities in the implementation and utilization of EMRs are higher in accessing patient history information. The purpose of this study was to determine the EMR utilization in the chronic care settings. In conclusion, the literature review performed does not support the fact that EMRs are currently …

Pharmaceutical Counterfeiting And The Rfid Technology Intervention, Alberto Coustasse, Cody Arvidson, Phil Rutsohn

Management Faculty Research

Both nationally and internationally, pharmaceutical counterfeiting has become a problem that is threatening economic stability and public health. The purpose of the present research study review was to analyze the scope and severity of pharmaceutical counterfeiting and to establish if the implantation of the Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) model can more efficiently be used within the pharmaceutical supply chain to reduce the problem counterfeit drugs impose on public health and international economic stability. Results indicated that implementing the RFID model for tracking drugs at the item level in the pharmaceutical supply chain has potential to alleviate the scope of …

Case Studies In Medical Futility, Douglas A. Mains, Alberto Coustasse, Sue G. Lurie

Management Faculty Research

Technology has provided means to sustain life and provide care regardless of whether the treatment is appropriate and compassionate given the condition of the patient. This study presents two case histories, compiled from historical patient charts, staff notes and observations, that illustrate the variety of ethical issues involved and the role culture plays in the decision making process related to possible futile medical treatment. Ethical and cultural issues related to the cases are discussed and processes are presented that can help hospitals to avoid, or decrease the level of, medically futile care, and improve the cultural appropriateness of medical care …

Racial/Ethnic Differences In Exposure To Environmental Volatile Organic Compounds In The U.S. General Population: The National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2000, Y. S. Lin, Alberto Coustasse, W. H. Ho, K. Singh, A. Arif

Management Faculty Research

Background: Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has been associated with many health disorders. A better understanding of unequal health risk from exposure to environmental VOCs is critical to the elimination of health disparities.

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate racial/ethnic differentials in exposure to airborne VOCs within a national sample of the U.S. population and assessed socio-demographic determinants that may contribute to these racial differences.

Methods: We used data from a stratified sample of 576 participants (aged 20–59 years) who provided personal air samples for VOC measurements in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) …