Introduction
It seems reasonable to state that the healthcare system always requires significant arrangement and the composition of specific establishments aimed at conducting the related practices. Particularly, this is relevant for the US states that should be a developed platform for institutions to which the citizens appeal in order to obtain vital services. However, there should be independent organizations that smoothly and contribute to such processes, especially within the scope of the healthcare sector. For instance, the Illinois Health Network (IHN) may be a good example of an establishment that advances this sector on a non-profit basis. Below, the essence and crucial features of the IHN will be explored, arguing that such an organization is a necessary element of the state’s healthcare industry.
Description of the IHN
The IHN aims to advance healthcare quality and improve its effectiveness by using modern technologies. This organization enables the protected exchange of important health and business data sets. The IHN involves the Illinois Hospital Association and two oversight committees – the IHN Steering Committee and Applications Advisory Group – which are maintained by the initial funding via the State of Illinois. The IHN has a non-profit status and assists in maintaining secure information flaws from many healthcare providers in Illinois and the whole country (Illinois Department of Public Health, n.d.). As for today, the institution has done an impressive amount of work in ensuring the secure flaws of vital data between the stakeholder, as well as facilitating its use by the Illinois Health Network Business Partners. In the future, the IHN looks forward to continuing and supporting the activities of HIMSS and the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise.
The members of the IHN can be defined as integrated parts of the institution that cooperate on a regular basis. Among them are “hospitals, physician offices, long-term care, federally qualified health centers, labs, etc. (Illinois Department of Public Health, n.d., p. 6). Then, there are IHN Business Partners that can be determined as vendors and other groupings that express willingness to promote their services within the scope of membership in the Illinois Business Partners.
At this point, it would be appropriate to reveal the way in which the IHN is being used. The first example is the after-hours hospital pharmacy coverage. Six hospitals will utilize IHN to transmit scanned photos of medicine prescriptions to an on-call physician at a remote location, who will be alerted when a document is received. He or she will assess the order as well as send back a response to the original hospital personnel if it is approved (Illinois Department of Public Health, n.d.). The distant hospital’s distribution cabinet will be immediately unlocked when the reply message is received. All operations will give the appropriate documents for quality control, HIPAA, and JCAHO adherence.
Second, there is the Kane Community Health Access Integrated Network. It received federal cash to expand access to basic and specialized healthcare for underrepresented communities. Various attendees involve officials from the state’s five medical centers, the psychiatric agency, many nationally recognized hospitals, health practitioners, and the health district’s personnel. The panel has considered the types of data that will be exchanged as well as the creation of a health records index. They are looking into using the IHN to help with data sharing, which should start soon.
Third, The University of Illinois Rockford College of Medicine and the National Center for Rural Health Professions utilize the Illinois Health Network to maintain their internal information sharing and communications necessities. The essential data is being shared among faculties, students, and regional preceptors (Illinois Department of Public Health, n.d.). This data involves secured healthcare information and student assessments, which requires the comfortable and significant exchanges offered by the IHN’s gateway.
Fourth, KSB Hospital in Illinois benefits from cooperation with the IHN. Specifically, this healthcare provider uses the IHN for the sake of physicians could have access to internal applications. Moreover, there is the opportunity to appropriately arrange patient data sharing between “the emergency department, regional mental health, and public healthcare providers” for KSB Hospital (Illinois Department of Public Health, n.d., p. 7). This institution is likely to get significant results from this cooperation.
Hence, referring to the examples and the IHN’s essential features, the following roles of the agency can be formulated. First, it is the maintenance of security within the scope of the Illinois Health Network gateway. Second, it is the provision of access to commercial appeals as well as to other healthcare offers. Third, it is the advancement of communication between healthcare providers and organizations involved in the sphere of social services. Fourth, it is developing and providing a secure platform for health data exchange throughout the state.
Comments
At this point, it would be rational to comment on the Illinois Health Network, taking into account its characteristics explored above. The commercial element is an integrated part of the US healthcare system, given that it makes a considerable contribution to the country’s economy. In this vein, the relevance of not-for-profit projects and organizations increases. They can be perceived as smoothing mechanisms that help healthcare providers operate and interact appropriately and consistently. From this perspective, the IHN seems to be a great example that approaches this help from the angle of IT technologies and the necessity of coherent and secure information exchange.
The task of modern healthcare is the active development of the medical and pharmaceutical industries and the creation of conditions for its transition to an innovative development model. This should raise the level of provision of healthcare organizations and the population with medicines and medical products, both in terms of quantitative and qualitative indicators. In the current circumstances, improving the health of the population and the activities of healthcare organizations is possible only on the basis of continuous modernization of the technological base of the industry. Moreover, to provide advanced healthcare services, it is essential to ensure the consistency of the medical processes at all levels. In this vein, a reasonable distribution of duties of the involved institutions is vital. Thus, the need for a secure and timely exchange of medical information becomes very acute. Given the explored features of the IHN, it might be assumed that this network contributes to success in the given framework and should be developed to an even greater extent in the future.
Conclusion
To conclude, the characteristics of the Illinois Health Network as well as its functions were explored. It was found that this network is a significant contributor to the secure and reliable health data exchange between healthcare providers within the state and beyond. Its affairs and roles are crucial in establishing smooth and consistent provision of healthcare services, which results in the graduate development of the sector as a whole. The necessity of the IHN’s functioning is justified by numerous economic and social factors.
Reference
Illinois Department of Public Health. (n.d.). The Illinois Health Network.