Rural Health IT helps to improve health care services in most rural settings

Rural Health Information Technology uses computers for storing, protecting, retrieving and transferring information electronically within the health care scenario. The key elements of the rural health IT include electronic medical records for patients instead of paper records, secure electronic networks for delivering updated records anytime, anywhere the patient or clinician may need them. Furthermore, the Rural Health IT provides electronic transmittal of medical test results to hasten and simplify the processing by health care providers.

Health IT works to improve safety, quality and effectiveness of services. Furthermore, the systems could help make certain that the physicians as well as other wellness professionals will have the most current particulars regarding the condition or ailment they are treating. HIT systems boost quality of service via avoiding medical errors and duplication. Since most patients receive ministry from various health providers, the provincial medical IT works to ensure coordinated, efficient and secure exchange of statistics. Moreover, through the use of the information technology system, researchers could learn faster regarding new therapies and treatments.

The potentials of the HIT include the following:

1. Lower medical errors
2. Ascertain safer patient transitions between medical care settings
3. Reduce unnecessary and duplicative testing
4. Boost sharing of care information between laboratories, providers, patients and pharmacies
5. Ensures security and privacy of electronic wellness data since information is electronically maintained and transmitted.

Advances in wellness IT hold great promise in terms of helping rural and small communities overcome difficulties in health provisioning, like distance and shortage of personnel. A lot of small and rural medical providers point to the lack of financial resources as to why there are poor adoption rates. The medical IT investment should compete with other capital expenses, like the need for a new operating room equipment. There are few grants that state specifically that they would fund the HIT initiative that supports the cost of software, hardware and the necessary training for implementing and using electronic records, computerized provider order entry, e-prescribing, electronic transmittal of medical tests and decision support systems among others. There are some grants which would support the quality of medical ministering, access, patient safety, workforce training programs and controlling the cost.

Grants that support the initiatives may not specifically state they fund HIT. Nonetheless, HIT is considered as a solution to boost the initiatives. The use of IT allows better care coordination and quick access to patient data. This could improve the quality of wellness care and patient results in parochial settings. Using HIT holds a lot of potential for rural America. Not only does it enable better wellness coordination, it also allows instant access to patient data which could improve the quality of care given.

The benefits of electronic health records are well-documented. Moreover, rural providers are positioned uniquely to benefit from it. Health IT has the potential of transforming the way parochial providers collect, manage, store, use and share information. In addition, the program helps rural areas to coordinate and access care, boost disease survey, target health education and compile regional data and information. All of these activities are aimed at boosting the quality of services and results.