Health Care Administration Article Essay

Health Care That Puts a Computer on the Team
Steve Lohr, a columnist with the New York Times, wrote an article called “Health Care That Puts a Computer on the Team”.   This article provides the foundation for this review.   This article is relevant to the discussion of Knowledge Management in Chapter 10.   The article starts by talking about a diabetes patient that has successfully managed his disease.   The article emphasizes that his success is largely due to technical advances.   The patient has a computerized patient record that is continuously updated.   His record contains his medical history, medications, labs, allergies, treatment instructions, diet and exercise plans and notes from the nurses and doctors.   Experts predict the use of electronic records will help them better manage chronic illnesses such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer, hypertension and asthma.  
The article describes the electronic health record as a vibrant tool that can capture a wealth of information about the patient.   They state these records can reduce medical errors, prevent prescription mistakes, prevent unnecessary tests, prevent complications, and help provide the most efficient care for a patient.   This article concludes that as hospitals adopt the use of electronic health records, each record adds to a growing database of evidence that physicians can pull from to learn what works and what doesn’t work.   As this database of information grows, so does the added benefit of harnessing health information across different countries and sharing it for a common good.  
The article talks about President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform, and how it centers largely on the adoption of electronic health records that will improve the quality and efficiency of medicine.   There are experts that state that the advantage of the record sharing through electronic records will take a long time to achieve because there will be resistance to change.   Many small doctors offices look at it as an added...