Healthcare information governance program for IBM
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Introduction
Operations in business, especially healthcare and our primary sector, which this company provides about 70% of its services in information governance, has gone through substantial transformations over the few decades that have passed since it was formed. Previously the company may not have any issue during information governance using a physical storage system such as storing business data in hard copies. However, as the need for more storage increase over time, our company (hypothetically IBM) has realized the need for a better approach to handle and store data for our different healthcare clients. To address issues related to physical data storage, the company has introduced an electronic data storage system. This is an excellent approach, but the company requires more than just implementing an electronic system to establish efficiency in our information governance program. With this in mind and as the new Chief Information Governance Officer (hypothetically) for IBM, I have realized that some of the challenges currently include duplication issues, compliance with the law, marketing difficulties, and related issues to information governance electronic data.
This article focuses on the importance of establishing a metric-driven information governance program. It also determines how different healthcare data types such as electronic health records, administrative data, claims data, patient registration, health survey, clinical trial, and scientific data should be managed and governed. It provides a detailed description of the elements and factors such as governance structure, assured/audited delivery, continuous monitoring of compliance efficiency, secure record-keeping, process management tools, and reporting. The company should consider these elements to ensure active compliance while establishing an effective information governance program. Moreover, the article identifies why cloud computing services such as Infrastructure as Service, Platform as a Service, and software as a service are essential to establishing an efficient information governance program for healthcare data. The final part of the paper focuses on the strategic approaches and types that the company can use in social media marketing to sufficiently promote its service and products for healthcare information governance.
Annotated bibliography
Dong, L., & Keshavjee, K. (2016). Why is information governance important for electronic healthcare systems? A Canadian experience. Journal of Advances in Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(5), 250-260.
Why is it essential to emphasize the importance of information governance and more so in a healthcare setting? This is a common question that any reader would ask themselves even before they start reading an article focusing on information governance. Currently, the most organization has embraced the use of electronic data storage and cybersecurity system. This article focuses on how the healthcare industry adopts an electronic-medical records system to enhance the quality of healthcare services and minimize cost. It also defines what information governance means and identifies the need for the same in the healthcare industry. One of the most critical parts in this article, besides the definition of information governance, differentiates between information governance, data governance, and IT governance. These three terms are almost the same, but not entirely identical, and the acknowledgment helps to minimize bias information while writing carrying out this study. It also emphasizes on the eight principles crucial in information governance program-similarly to Empel 2014 article. The article helps to the technology component and policy component related to IG in healthcare sectors.
Empel, S. (2014). Way Forward: AHIMA Develops Information Governance Principles to Lead Healthcare Toward Better Data Management. Journal of AHIMA, 85(10), 30-32.
One of the crucial factors to establishing optimal data management is establishing transparent information governance principles. This article includes a detailed literature context that shows how Information Governance Principle for Healthcare (IGPHC) can apply as an Information Governance (IG) framework for establishing an inclusive system that ensures accountability, transparency, integrity, protection compliance, availability, retention, and disposition. It also evaluates the concept of information governance in a detailed and straightforward manner. This context is essential for conceptualizing IG and the principle required in a healthcare facility. This means that the information provided in this article has the potential to help the basic concept of information governance and essential principles for effective operation and information governance.
Georgiou, D., & Lambrinoudakis, C. (2020). Cloud Computing Framework for e-Health Security Requirements & Security Policy Rules Case Study: A European Cloud-based Health System (No. 3953). EasyChair.
This article reveals that despite Information Technology, cloud computing has brought in significant beneficial changes in healthcare; the increased possibility of sharing sensitive information in this sector has potential risks. With this in mind, the authors, Georgiou and Lambrinoudakis, focus on analyzing identifying issues related to cloud computing use in the electronic healthcare system and then propose a measure that can help mitigate these challenges. Some of the issues identified include information privacy, technology changes, integrity issues related to the use of the internet, and weaknesses in the traditional security approaches. It also emphasizes the need for policy in a cloud computing e-health system. The case study (which is part of the article) helps to understand the nature, benefit, risk, and threat associated with an information system in the healthcare industry. The study also includes an evaluation of electronic health cloud computing implementation. The authors focus on the importance of factors such as Infrastructure as Service, Platform as a Service, and software as a service. This context helps understand how healthcare facilities can implement cloud computing and the considerations to account for during the process.
Prastyanti, R. A., & Purnomo, S. (2019). LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS IN DIGITAL MARKETING. International Management Journal, January–June 2019, 113.
In this article, the author Prastyanti and Purnomo identify that the core focus in determining the legal considerations while using a digital marketing approach is to ensure that consumers are protected against unfair treatment or unethical business practices. The context acknowledges the need for identifying government regulations in place within digital marketing. Some of the examples of regulation laws include Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulations. Generally, this article identifies government regulation and business policy that an organization should consider in its digital marketing activities.
Tafesse, W., & Wien, A. (2018). Implementing social media marketing strategically: An empirical assessment. Journal of Marketing Management, 34(9-10), 732-749.
This article is focused on the systematic implementation of social media in an organization and identifies the different dimensions such as engagement, organization proactive approach, and analytics. The article recognizes that an organization must implement social media through subsequent stages, which significantly improves performance. The proposed stages of implementation include initiation, diffusion, and maturity. This context helps to understand how a healthcare facility can optimize social media use for its marketing campaigns.
Literature review
Information governance in the healthcare industry
Different articles focus on information governance in the healthcare industry. Some article evaluates Information governance influences the performance of Health Information Management in the presence of a changing environment that includes shifting from traditional recording data on paper to electronic approaches. Fenton & Low (2017) identify that in the currently changing approach of data management from paper to electronic systems, data is becoming more complex. Nonetheless, the use of Health Information Management professionals has the potential to meet the requirement needed in this new environment. There is a proposal that data scientists and data steward in organizations help realize the potential opportunity in big data and enhance the quality services or product offer to the consumer (Fenton & Low, 2017 and Moghadam & Colomo Palcias 2018). In a healthcare setting, this implies that professionals can help healthcare facilities adapt according to changes in the service, management, and governance of data. Asadi et al. (2019) suggest that (also William 2007, Brown & Toze 2017, Dong & Keshavje 2016, Fenton et al. 2017 and Moghadam & Colomo Palcias 2018) use of information governance in healthcare setting help in improving healthcare/patient safety, minimizes Heath Information Management costs, improves the quality of healthcare information and enhance the confidentiality of health information. Most authors suggest that information governance in healthcare improves healthcare /patient safety by minimizing medical errors, reducing risks, eliminating litigation challenges, and making data management a strategic approach. This means that information governance in healthcare promotes efficiency in information management activities and hence a crucial factor in any healthcare facility.
Nonetheless, it is still unclear how a healthcare facility can implement this efficient framework that accounts for these approaches. This means that despite most healthcare are aware of the importance of information governance in their systems. They may fail to realize these benefits in reality due to difficulties in implementing these approaches in their operations. Furthermore, the lack of literary work that focuses on information governance structure, regulation concerns, and cloud computing integration means that much is still to be accomplished in researching these areas. It is also essential to include that new changes occur each day in healthcare information-related activities. This is more so the case due to the current shifts from traditional means of information management (paper system) to the digital era (electronic health system).
Email and social media marketing in the healthcare industry
Social media marketing refers to applying digital platforms/websites in marketing organization products and services. As the competition is for healthcare services drastically increasing due to the growth of private healthcare sectors and changes in laws that allow expansion and development, investors have started implementing social media. Mostly this is a strategical approach for reaching out to new customers and satisfying those that already exist. A study carried out by Alves, Fernandes & Raposo (2016) focuses on the degree of using digital marketing in an organization and its impact on a firm’s performance and consumer benefits. The author suggests that when an organization uses social media, there is a potential risk of unethical behaviors. This implies a need for control and management of how an organization uses social media marketing.
Tafesse & Wien (2018) suggest that generally implementing social media marketing aims to promote proactive marketing activities. Additionally, Alves, Fernandes & Raposo (2016) add that social media marketing supports the utilization content and enhances engagement between an organization and its potential consumers. Tafesse & Wien (2018) Suggest that social media allow an organization to carry out broader research and shared information. This means that social media in healthcare promote research activities and helps healthcare providers to understand patient behavior and influence the public toward living a healthy life through sharing information and improved interaction. However, it is not clear which specific regulatory considerations are related to these areas.
Program and technology recommendations for the healthcare industry
Information governance metrics
Information governance in healthcare is closely linked to information management practices. This means that an effective information governance infrastructure must account for information asset management and enterprise information management principles. In other words, an information governance metric in healthcare requires a holistic approach that accounts for the type of data/information design (paper-based, electronic data, or both), content and record management, and information analysis/use. Therefore model that focuses on these factors will help ensure information safety, compliance, and maintain confidentiality in all dimensions. This eventually improves performance in health information management. Social media marketing is part of information use and analysis in and organization, and therefore it is also closely linked to information governance processes. Social media metrics for healthcare marketing include consumer satisfaction, engagement, sharing of information (content), influence, conversion, and activity. In a healthcare facility, patient information, regardless if it is structured or unstructured, is the most sensitive data in information management and governance. Therefore the IBM information governance program should ensure governance of patients’ information such as medical/payment records, protected health information, and data related to every client’s internet/electronic health system.
Effective compliance to regulations security and privacy
According to the context above, it is apparent that an organization needs a strategic framework that evaluates different dimensions that can influence compliance of an organization to regulations, principles, and security requirements for the safety of protected health information. The information governance program implemented in our company (hypothetically IBM) requires a HIPAA framework that provides inclusive legal requirements based on Privacy Rule standards. Edemekong, Annamaraju & Haydel (2020) suggest that the HIPAA Act of 1996 consists of five Titles that apply to operation services providers and other business entities in healthcare to ensure total patient information protection. Additionally, implementing the AHIMA framework in the company can help educate and guide stakeholders/interested parties about regulation, security, and privacy-related information governance through Information Governance Principles for Healthcare (Empel, 2014).
Social media strategy: an integrated multi-channel model
Quesenberry (2020) suggests that a multi-media approach can allow a considerable pool of individuals to gather together and communicate effectively regardless of their geographical location and internet access. Applying a multi-channel approach in marketing gives an organization more opportunity to expand and reach pout to more potential customers. With this in mind, IBM’s best social media strategy is an enterprise-wide and integrated social media strategy because it allows more flexibility for employees to interact and collaborate and clients.
Cloud computing strategy: e-health cloud-based system
Georgiou & Lambrinoudakis (2020) suggest that implementing an e-health cloud-based system in an organization helps to reduce the need to maintain internal information technology assets and other network work infrastructure. This kind of system also minimizes the cost included in the recruitment of technical professionals. Most of the services are already available in the system in software as a service, infrastructure as a service, and platform as a service. Besides reducing cost, the system also enables an organization to solve resource scarcity, improve the quality of service/products provided, support research, enhance strategic planning, and neutralize data security threats and risks. Nevertheless, the organization must consider the higher cost of implementation and implement standards to safeguard client information.
Conclusion
Information governance metrics in a healthcare-related business include compliance, integrity, accountability, transparency, integrity, protection, retention, and disposition involve in a big data environment. All sensitive data in information governance related to healthcare records are classified as protected health information. The best way to comply with regulations regulation in a particular business is first to understand the environment within which an organization operates. For IBM, in this case, the best way to ensure compliance is to implement HIPAA and the AHIMA framework. Implementing an e-health cloud-based system in an information governance program helps an organization improve performance by reducing cost, enhancing maintenance, improving quality, and eliminating scarcity. On the other hand, an integrated social media strategy in an organization improves its performance by expanding its potential in reaching out to customers, enhancing collaboration and communication among stakeholders.
References
Alves, H., Fernandes, C., & Raposo, M. (2016). Social media marketing: a literature review and implications. Psychology & Marketing, 33(12), 1029-1038.
Asadi, F., Rouzbahani, F., Rabiei, R., Moghaddasi, H., & Emami, H. (2019). Information Governance Program: A Review of Applications in Healthcare. Archives of Advances in Biosciences, 10(1), 47-55.
Brown, D. C., & Toze, S. (2017). Information governance in digitized public administration. Canadian public administration, 60(4), 581-604.
Dong, L., & Keshavjee, K. (2016). Why is information governance important for electronic healthcare systems? A Canadian experience. Journal of Advances in Humanities and Social Sciences, 2(5), 250-260.
du Fresne, A. J. (2020). Can Audits be an Effective Method to Improve Information Governance Compliance Objectives? (Doctoral dissertation, University of Findlay).
Edemekong, P., Annamaraju, P., & Haydel, M. (2020). Health insurance portability and accountability act (HIPAA). StatPearls.
Fenton, S. H., Low, S., Abrams, K. J., & Butler-Henderson, K. (2017). Health information management: changing with time. Yearbook of medical informatics, 26(1), 72.
Georgiou, D., & Lambrinoudakis, C. (2020). Cloud Computing Framework for e-Health Security Requirements & Security Policy Rules Case Study: A European Cloud-based Health System (No. 3953). EasyChair.
Moghadam, R. S., & Colomo-Palacios, R. (2018). Information security governance in big data environments: A systematic mapping. Procedia computer science, 138, 401-408.
Prastyanti, R. A., & Purnomo, S. (2019). LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS IN DIGITAL MARKETING. International Management Journal, January–June 2019, 113.
Quesenberry, K. A. (2020). Social media strategy: marketing, advertising, and public relations in the consumer revolution. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
Tafesse, W., & Wien, A. (2018). Implementing social media marketing strategically: An empirical assessment. Journal of Marketing Management, 34(9-10), 732-749.
Williams, P. (2007). Information governance: A model for security in medical practice.