Evaluation of Health Information Exchange Policies in Hospitals When Using Electronic Health Records
Date of Conferral
5-22-2024
Date of Award
May 2024
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Health Services
Advisor
Compreca Martin
Abstract
The U.S. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Health Insurance Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) policies have transformed how health information is currently exchanged. Health information is exchanged through health information exchange portals, which require technical and physical safeguards. Protected health information must be secure at all times in an acute or outpatient hospital setting. Registered Health Information Administrators (RHIAs) review updates provided by HIPAA and HITECH to ensure that patient data are not exchanged inappropriately. There is a research gap in the lack of evaluation for health information exchange (HIE) policies in hospitals, as well as an interoperability issue in the way patients’ information is exchanged between health professionals who are providing care. The purpose for this qualitative exploratory study was to explore how RHIAs working in hospitals evaluated and updated their HIE policies. The research questions examined the RHIAs’ perspectives about how the HIE policies are evaluated and updated. An Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework was used as the theoretical foundation in understanding the topic of this study. The qualitative exploratory study was applied with the IAD model. The study participants consisted of 10 RHIAs from hospitals located in Atlanta, GA, and surrounding areas. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed by using methodological triangulation, coding, and content analysis. The positive social change implications may assist RHIAs in choosing the best literature when evaluating and updating hospital HIE policies and may improve privacy and security.
Recommended Citation
West, Deltalyn, "Evaluation of Health Information Exchange Policies in Hospitals When Using Electronic Health Records" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 15818.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15818
