Healthcare Technology & Information Systems Flashcards

What is telehealth, and which regulatory requirement was significantly relaxed during the COVID-19 public health emergency to expand access?

Answer: Telehealth is delivery of health services via technology; geographic and originating site restrictions under Medicare were relaxed

During COVID-19, CMS waived Medicare's geographic and originating site restrictions, allowing patients to receive telehealth services from their homes anywhere in the U.S.

Which framework is commonly used in healthcare organizations to govern IT strategy, ensure IT investments align with organizational goals, and manage IT-related risks?

Answer: COBIT (Control Objectives for Information and Related Technologies)

COBIT is a widely adopted IT governance framework that helps healthcare organizations align IT strategy with business objectives and manage IT risk effectively.

A healthcare system is implementing an AI-powered tool to predict patient readmissions. Which concern is MOST important for the healthcare administrator to address?

Answer: Ensuring the algorithm is validated, unbiased, and that its recommendations are transparent to clinicians

AI tools in healthcare must be validated for accuracy, tested for bias across patient populations, and implemented with transparency so clinicians can understand and trust the recommendations.

What does 'FHIR' stand for, and what is its primary purpose in healthcare IT?

Answer: Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources; a standard for exchanging healthcare data electronically via APIs

FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is an HL7 standard that uses modern web APIs to enable efficient and interoperable exchange of healthcare data between systems.

Under the 21st Century Cures Act, healthcare providers are prohibited from engaging in 'information blocking.' Which of the following IS considered a permissible exception to this rule?

Answer: Limiting data sharing to protect patient privacy and security under recognized standards

The information blocking regulations include eight recognized exceptions, one of which is the Privacy Exception, allowing providers to limit sharing to protect patient privacy in accordance with applicable law.

Which of the following best describes the concept of 'data governance' in a healthcare organization?

Answer: A framework of policies and processes that ensure data is accurate, available, consistent, and used appropriately

Data governance is an organizational framework that defines who can take what actions with what data, under what circumstances, using what methods, ensuring data quality, security, and compliance.

A hospital's IT department conducts a 'Business Impact Analysis (BIA)' as part of its disaster recovery planning. What is the primary goal of a BIA?

Answer: To identify critical business functions and the impact of disruption on those functions to prioritize recovery efforts

A BIA identifies which business processes are most critical, estimates the impact of downtime, and helps establish recovery time objectives to prioritize restoration efforts after a disaster.