The HCBHC IT systems lack the full capability of supporting realization of targeted goals for service augmentation as indicated in the strategic plan. The Harbour City Behavioral Canter’s IT department lacks the appropriate IT infrastructure that would ensure optimal patient engagement. The IT function has not implemented effective patient engagement tools that would bolster improvement of patient outcomes. The IT department relies on engagement tools such as e-mails to gather questions from clients, a technique that offers limited potency as not all patients would have access to emails. Use of emails for patient engagement may lead to disruption of patient privacy in addition to waste of time, poor or misuse of communication between patients and care givers for lack of structured way of passing messages ( Birnbaum et al., 2015) . The infective patient’s engagement tool stands to adversely affect provision of home health care services as patients may experience difficulties reaching care providers. Illiteracy in inability to use email and poor internet connection would be a potential impediment towards effective communication ultimately curtailing realization of goals for improvement as outlined in the HCBH strategic plan. The IT department therefore ought to review and implement effective patient engagement tools such as social media and apps for smartphones.
Lack of a secure patient messaging service implies that the centers IT systems are not capable of supporting accomplishment of outlined goals and initiatives. The current message service is not HIPAA compliant as it exposes patient data to risks such as access by unauthorized personnel and potential loss which would jeopardize patient data safety goals as indicated in the strategic plan. The center IT system lacks the capability to track and save patient data thereby hindering support for targeted goals and initiatives. Inability of the IT system to track and consolidate patient data leads to adverse patient outcomes as the center would not be able to have a trail of patient health history for effective care provision ( Burnham & Brown, 2012) . The HCBHC current IT system does not have the requisite capability as care providers lacks the proficiency to use Outlook Scheduling. The skill gap would make it hard for healthcare multidisciplinary teams to use scheduling tools which are critical in inviting attendees to meetings and appointments.
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The IT department should consider implementing effective patient engagement technologies to support HCBHC strategic plan goals and initiatives. The IT function ought to install the hardware and software systems for biometric wireless devices such as glucometers and wireless scales which are instrumental in collection of patient health information and relaying it to an electronic health record infrastructure. The IT department should also consider having Apps for smartphones and SMS appointment reminders which offer significant benefit in patient engagement for example helping patients manage their medications and reminding them of their appointments. Social media software ought to be installed to improve patient health behaviors such as weight loss and health eating ( Thielst, 2011) . The HCBHC IT department should link other departments with gigabit Ethernet connection endowed with a high bandwidth to enable maximum and swift patient data transfer and seamless communication between functions consequently supporting realization of strategic plan goals and initiatives.
Patients should be connected with 4G network to support usage of smartphone apps and social media while engaging healthcare providers. To improve security, HIPAA compliant messaging software such as WELL, Trillian, Klara, Paubox Encrypted Email, Luma Health and Qliq Secure Texting should be installed to improve efficiency and communication quality among physicians, staff and nurses for delivery of safer and better care. The human resource should lay training plans for care providers to enable the teams and departments use Outlook Scheduling and other patient engagement tools such as social media. Equipping care providers with requisite dexterities will be crucial in supporting HCBHC strategic plans goals and initiatives.
References
Birnbaum, F., Lewis, D. M., Rosen, R., & Ranney, M. L. (2015). Patient engagement and the design of digital health. Academic emergency medicine: official journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine , 22 (6), 754.
Burnham, L. A., & Brown, G. C. (2012). U.S. Patent Application No. 12/974,990 .
Thielst, C. B. (2011). Social media: ubiquitous community and patient engagement. Frontiers of health services management , 28 (2), 3-14.
