Health Care Informatics is the technological software that we use everyday to collect patient information. This technology is so important that we base the information that we obtain on treating patient’s diseases and illnesses. The main component of this is the Electronic Health Record (EHR). This record contains all of the patient’s lab results, allergies, comorbids, care plans, order entry, etc.  All of this data in one system helps the healthcare team to treat the patient and obtain the goals for a successful outcome.

The person that owns the EHR is the patients. They are the ones who have the say of when they want to obtain their information and when they want it to be transferred to another facility. In the past, when a patient wanted to transfer their records. They kept a copy with them at home and took them with them to the new hospital. The Health Insurance Portability  and Accountability Act (HIPPA) of 1996, protects the patient’s health information and grants the rights of that information to that individual. This sets the national standards for the security of electronic protected health information.

Health Information Privacy. Retrieved March 8, 2010, http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/.