One of the areas of concern to Mr. Magone and the senior leadership of Healing Hands Hospital is the integration and adoption of information technology and systems that would be needed if the hospital consolidated with a large health system or added more outpatient services or expanded into telemedicine. As a member of the Task Force support team, you have been asked to research and discuss current and future advances and issues related to information technology in healthcare. This may include integration concerns with the Healing Hands Hospital’s current electronic health record system (EHRs), new models of decision support systems, and telemedicine with wearable tracking and smartphone linked devices.
Include the following information in your paper:
Identify 1 major technological trend (such as data analytics, decision support systems, telemedicine, or tracking devices) in health care that could be adopted by Healing Hands Hospital.
Discuss the pros and cons of adopting this technology.
Unit 4 IP: The Healthcare Industry
Student’s Name
Unit 4 IP: The Healthcare Industry
Competition is one of the threats faced by healthcare organizations in the United States healthcare industry. Medical facilities that form the country’s healthcare system are getting into merger and acquisition agreements in order to reduce competition and minimize operation costs (Austin & Wetle, 2016). As hospitals consolidate with larger medical facilities, engaging in activities that match industry trends can be a good source of competitive advantage. For example, adopting and integrating technological systems that are aligned with healthcare industry trends can help them to outperform organizations that have not adopted those technologies (Khuntia et al., 2022). Healing Hands Hospital is planning to consolidate with a large health system. The purpose of this assignment is to describe one major technological trend in health care that Healing Hands Hospital could adopt in its planned consolidation.
Telemedicine for Patients with Type 2 Diabetes
Healthcare organizations in the United States are rapidly integrating telemedicine to increase healthcare access to patients, especially those with chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes. This is a major technological trend that Healing Hands Hospital can adopt when it consolidates with a larger healthcare system. Telemedicine is a type of technology that allows healthcare professionals to deliver healthcare services to patients remotely by facilitating the exchange of crucial health-related information on issues related to diagnosis, treatment, patient education, outcome evaluation, and follow-up care (Robson & Hosseinzadeh, 2021). In this form of healthcare delivery, healthcare professionals can interact with a patient when they are in different locations. Currently, Healing Hands Hospital and the larger health care system have separate teams of patients with type 2 diabetes. Telemedicine will help the new entity to care for these patients as they benefit from the care delivered by a team of healthcare professionals.
Pros and Cons of Adopting Telemedicine
Telemedicine has some advantages and disadvantages that Healing Hands Hospital needs to know before it can adopt the technology. One of these advantages is that telemedicine will generate a cost-saving advantage for the organization because it will allow the facility to deliver healthcare services to patients remotely. Both healthcare professionals and patients do not have to visit the hospital physically for healthcare delivery to occur. In this respect, Healing Hands Hospital, in its new consolidation, will not have to create office space for different healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients with type 2 diabetes (Robson & Hosseinzadeh, 2021). A study conducted by Robson and Hosseinzadeh (2021) revealed that telehealth interventions improve self-management behaviors and generate better health outcomes for patients with type 2 diabetes. According to Kreutzenberg (2022), telemedicine is a useful tool for maintaining contact between physicians, nurses, healthcare teams, and patients. This makes it helpful for managing patients who need close monitoring like those with type 2 diabetes.
The cons of telemedicine concern integration costs and ensuring compliance among patients. Telemedicine is costly to integrate and Healing Hands must ensure that it has adequate funds for successful adoption. Additionally, patients with diabetes might find it difficult to use the technology at home and this can affect compliance (Kreutzenberg, 2022). Healing Hands Hospital can overcome these challenges through proper budgeting and by educating patients on how to use the technology to enhance compliance.
Conclusion
Telemedicine will increasingly transform healthcare delivery even as complex chronic illnesses continue to emerge. The technology will help Healing Hands Hospital and the larger healthcare system to effectively manage patients with type 2 diabetes remotely. To ensure the successful adoption and integration of telemedicine, Healing Hands Hospital should educate patients on how to use the technology and have a proper budget to procure the necessary materials.
References
Austin, A., & Wetle, V. (2016). The United States Health Care System (3rd Edition). Pearson Education (US). https://coloradotech.vitalsource.com/books/9780134297927
Khuntia, J., Ning, X., & Stacey, R. (2022). Competition and integration of US health systems in the post-COVID-19 new normal: Cross-sectional survey. JMIR Formative Research, 6(3), e32477. https://doi.org/10.2196/32477
Kreutzenberg S. V. (2022). Telemedicine for the clinical management of diabetes; implications and considerations after COVID-19 experience. High Blood Pressure & Cardiovascular Prevention: The Official Journal of the Italian Society of Hypertension, 29(4), 319–326. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40292-022-00524-7
Robson, N., & Hosseinzadeh, H. (2021). Impact of telehealth care among adults living with type 2 diabetes in primary care: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(22), 12171. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182212171