Health Information Technology Terms

abstracting: summarizing the important points of a text for import into the EMR

application service provider (ASP): a third party entity managing and distributing software-based services to customers from a central data center

automation: the system of operating a process by highly automatic means, as by electronic devices, reducing human intervention to a minimum

best of breed: several products, each excelling at specific functions, joined to work as one

change management: the formal process of introducing, adapting and diffusing change through the practice

chart conversion: process of deciding and implementing the means to get data from the paper charts into the new EMR

chronic disease management registry: a clinical information system which generally supplements the individual patient medical record and supports the physician in the treatment setting; used to capture, manage, and provide information on specific conditions to support organized care management

client-server model: a dedicated server located at a customer's site that handles most of the software processing tasks, while less-powerful client computers access and share files, programs and computing prowess

document imaging: creating an electronic image in a computer file from a paper document, typically through scanning

electronic health record (EHR): a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care-delivery setting

electronic medical record (EMR): the electronic record of patient health information generated by encounters at one particular delivery setting

hardware: devices to capture, process, and transmit data in an electronic form such as computers and network equipment

health information technology (HIT): the acquisition, storage, retrieval, and use of electronic information in a health care setting

integration: process of ensuring all elements in an information system can communicate and can act as a uniform entity

interface: a program designed to enable the exchange of data between two sources; enable software to connect one information system to another, to share certain data or outputs, to join systems to perform tasks seamlessly and without double entry of data

internet: a worldwide system of computer networks that allows users to send and receive information among computers

interoperability: the capability of systems to pass meaningful information between them

legacy system: an older software system that is typically expensive to maintain and upgrade, has extreme limitations of functions, and does not interface well with new technologies. However, legacy systems have been proven to work, making it difficult for some consumers to make decisions about old vs. new technologies

network: a set of connected computers that is able to communicate and share data or programs

operating system: the software program that provides the commands and logic that operates the computer

patient registry: provides multiple views of information about a patient or lists of patients for use (1) at the point of care, (2) between visits to identify gaps in care, and (3) to provide status reports about specific patient populations

personal computer (PC): a computer designed for the individual user

personal digital assistant (PDA): a handheld computer loaded with personal productivity tools such as a calendar, address book, word processing, and spreadsheet functions

personal health record (PHR): a health record maintained by the patient that incorporates information from various providers

return on investment (ROI): a measurement of success of a project; the percent of profit earned on an investment

scalability: the ability of a system to expand, such as when a practice needs to add additional users

server: a computer on a network that stores commonly used data or programs and makes those available on demand to clients on the network

software: a computer program

templates: a form or pattern to capture data in a structured manner

workflow: the progress of how processes and functions are performed

 

Last Updated On

October 07, 2010

Originally Published On

March 23, 2010