Assignment 1: Critical Factors in Implementing an IT System in Health Facilities 

Due Week 6 and worth 300 points

Write a six to eight (6–8) page paper in which you:

1. Provide at least three (3) various reasons why some health care organizations have been reluctant to implement electronic medical records.
2. Discuss the essential manner in which the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) impacts patient’s medical records. 
3. Determine the main advantages and disadvantages of the adoption of The HITECH (the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) Act for health care professionals. Next, suggest one (1) strategy that the medical staff members could use in order to mitigate the main disadvantages in question.   
4. Review the typical workflow processes within health organizations, and decide the single most significant process that the health organization must eliminate in order to improve the service. Provide a rationale to support your response.
5. Analyze the primary ways in which the key federal initiatives impact the standards of health care information for patient privacy, safety, and confidentially.
6. Specify the fundamental advantages of applying an IT system within health care organizations. Predict new IT developments in the health care industry for the next two (2) decades. Justify your response.
7. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting guidelines:

• This course requires use of new Strayer Writing Standards (SWS). The format is different than other Strayer University courses. Please take a moment to review the SWS documentation for details.
• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow SWS or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Examine the impact technologies have on health care information systems. 
• Examine the systems development life cycle of a custom application and the selection of proprietary systems.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in health information systems.
• Write clearly and concisely about health information systems using proper writing mechanics.