SNHU
June 12,2022
HIM 350 Module Six Journal Assignment
As a new Health Information Exchange (HIE) is to be implemented soon, this means that
the organization will also need to consider a workflow. A workflow is a sequence of steps in a
process performed by various people within and between work environments (Oachs & Watters,
2020). It maps the process to show where the path begins and where it should end. For the
success of the HIE, the project does not solely depend on the technology but also on the
workflow.
By implementing a new HIE system, it will change the flow of the organization and how
they share information. Health information management (HIM) professionals understand how
individuals and an organizational unit work together and the flow and uses of information in their
organization. A 2005 AHIMA study showed that successful implementations of electronic health
records (EHR) are related to the participation of HIM professionals in workflow analysis and
process improvement (Washington, 2008). The implementation of the HIE will improve the
"quality of care, efficiency, and patient safety" of the facility (Hincapie & Warholak, 2011). It
has the potential to improve the coordination healthcare providers and promoting
interoperability. It provides a smoother process therefore improving the current workflow and
employee performance.
For organizational improvement, workflow analysis and redesign are necessary
components to change and/or improve workflow tasks. Understanding how the current work
flows is critical to see what needs to change and what is working for the organization. There are
4 steps in a workflow analysis that are describes as framing the process, understanding the
current process, design the new process, and develop use case scenarios (Oachs & Watters,
2020). Discussing with staff and stakeholders is also important to ensure that everyone is
working together towards the same goal and on the same page with the policies.
A workflow is what will provide the instructions on how to use the HIE. It is a big change
for employees compared to what their current workflow is. It is necessary to perform daily tasks.
To effectively be able to share information, HIE will be the key to this goal. Both of these
components combined provide a positive change to the organization to become more effective,
successful, and increase productivity. The employee's performance improves from an automated
workflow and the hospital organizations have a system that provides greater communication and
interoperability.
For the process to be better streamlines with the implementation of exchange, the current
state of the exchange should be analyzed. The current processes and workflows should be
assessed to understand how exactly things are done and what areas could be improved by
streamlining. Employees should be trained properly on the new processes and ensure that they
understand the new HIE plan along with HIPAA compliance.
The are several benefits to participating in the HIE network but the most important one is
to improve patient outcomes. By participating in the HIE, the organization is able to track the
patients' outcomes and have