Strategic Value of Health Information

Strategic Value of Health Information
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There are two characteristics of data that are implied by its integrity. The first one is the accuracy of the data. In healthcare, this implies that all the data provided be true and specific. The vitality of this characteristic of data cannot be overemphasized (Dooling, 2013). Treatment of patients varies with many other factors such as genetic predisposition, allergies, acquired diseases and so forth. If particular information is entered wrongly, the consequences could be fatal. A very good example, in this case, is the accuracy of data for the sake of blood transfusion. This is one of the procedures that are most likely to be carried out in an emergency after an accident when the patient is not able to communicate their details. Compatibility during transfusion depends on the rhesus factor of an individual. If a person who is rhesus negative is wrongly accorded positive status, they can erroneously receive a positive rhesus transfusion whose results can be fatal. The other characteristic of data integrity is completeness. The data that is harnessed by healthcare systems should be as complete as possible (Dooling, 2013). This would enable healthcare stakeholders to make an informed judgment on a patient’s case. For example, a complete history of a patient would be able to inform a doctor on exiting allergies to medications or such limiting conditions as hepatic, cardiac or renal deviancies. The ultimate value of data integrity in healthcare, therefore, has centrality on the wellbeing of the patient.

This is the vital aspect of healthcare which signifies the importance of data integrity. Additionally, data integrity makes it easy to streamline healthcare to other sectors such as the economy by determining the needs of a population from the harvested data and investing on the essential aspects.
The value of healthcare information in a hospital environment is self-evident. In patient management, doctors and other caregivers will be able to make a better judgment on the prevalent condition based on previous conditions. Nurses are able to keep track of specific care for numerous patients who might need long term hospitalization when their records are clearly indicated. Hospitals are able to coordinated payment with insurance agencies in an easier way when health information relating to payment modules is kept well. Hospitals are able to operate and expand strategically when they have precise information on patients, stock, and inventory. Patient records help to define the needs of the target population. This streamlines the hospital’s development as it invests in the needs that are urgent to the community being served. The stock and inventory advice the growth strategists on the current status of the hospital so as to target investing in what is not available. Finally, health information helps the hospital to comply with legal policies set by such authorities as HIPAA.
The maximum value of quality health information is harnessed through the formulation of data management practices (Developing an Enterprise Information Strategy: A Pillar of Success in Building the Future of Health Care, 2018). This is achieved by surveying the needs of the organization in comparison to the already available mechanisms. The organization then plans and implements an improvement mechanism that provides a comprehensive database of healthcare information stored in a secure manne (Baxter, Dell, Publ & Race, 2007)r. Security is key in the management of healthcare data. This is especially important in the light of prevalent data breaches for technology relating data (Developing an Enterprise Information Strategy: A Pillar of Success in Building the Future of Health Care, 2018). With increased connectivity, these threats are likely to increase. The only way that the hospitals have towards securing their data is ensuring up-to-date management practices such as the use of relevant software for data protection.

References
3eservices. (2018). Developing an Enterprise Information Strategy: A Pillar of Success in Building the Future of Health Care [Ebook]. McLean.
Baxter, C., Dell, R., Publ, S., & Race, R. (2007). Assessing and Improving EHR Data Quality. 78, 3(69-72).
Dooling, J. (2013). The Importance of Data Quality [Ebook] (1st ed., p. 1). Certified Health Data Analyst.