Healthcare in the United States is at a crossroads; with all the high technology and money that has been thrown at automating electronic health records (EHR) and other aspects of healthcare business operations, the result has been dismal in terms of population health.
Patients in the United States are more likely to die from medical mistakes than in at any of the top 10 civilized nations; in fact, the United States came in dead last in healthcare quality, in a recent study. The United Kingdom, which pioneered information governance (IG) in healthcare, was ranked first in quality, so we felt it appropriate to include some U.K. voices in this book, to bring in some lessons learned and progressive IG perspectives.
IG programs are about minimizing information risks and costs, while maximizing information value. They require a cross-functional effort and collaboration across departments, breaking down traditional operational silos to leverage insights and value across the enterprise.
IG is increasingly seen as a critical organization-wide initiative in well-run healthcare organizations, not only to improve patient care and outcomes, but also as a countermeasure to the growing threats of data breaches and ransomware attacks.
This book is written in a concise, easy-to-read way. It is an action-oriented guide to help healthcare organizations plan and launch successful IG programs. It will help you to develop the business case, form your IG steering committee, develop a program charter, devise metrics, and manage an ongoing IG program. Crystal-clear definitions and concrete steps are presented, which will help organizations worldwide to develop their IG program framework and business objectives, and to measure progress toward achieving them.
Readers will benefit from proven strategies and advice offered by experienced IG practitioners. We hope that benefits can be realized in the near term, and significant improvements in healthcare quality can be made long term, for the good of patients in the United States and worldwide.