one
Giussi María Victoriaa, Baum Analíaa, Plazzotta Fernandoa, Muguerza Pablob, González Bernaldo de
Quirós Fernánc
a
Clinical Informatics Office, Ministry of Health, Buenos Aires city, Argentine
b
IT department, Ministry of Health, Buenos Aires city, Argentine
c
Government Health Advisor, Buenos Aires city, Argentine.
Introduction Methods
Implementation of health Information Technologies (IT)
Setting
contributes to improve quality of care and management
processes. Provision of quality information for health care Health Care Network
decision making, optimization of resources, contribution to the Buenos Aires is the capital city of Argentina and its largest
healthcare system giving timely and equitable care, are some and most important one. According to the 2010 census, the
of the benefits that can be achieved. Although IT benefits are city’s population is 2, 890,151 inhabitants. [6]
clear and well described, evidence shows that the adoption of The Argentine's Public Healthcare System provides free
new information systems is not an easy task, and the services to its entire population but much different insurance
utilization rates are not the expected for the current times. [1] models often coexist on the same patient. According to 2014
There are many issues that can become barriers in the statistical data, the average of the population residing in
implementation of a health IT project, if they are not timely Buenos Aires city is insured only by the public system is
taken into account. For example: political and economical 17.8%. This percentage reaches 31.2% in the south of the city,
support to ensure governance, the design of a strategic plan which is the more unprivileged. [7]
with clear objectives in short, medium and long term, the lack The healthcare network is formed by 33 Hospitals and 43
of external regulations and internal processes that provides a Community and Primary Care Centers (Centros de Salud y
legal framework according to the needs, the definition and Acción Comunitaria - CESAC). The city is structured into 12
adoption of interoperability standards, and change areas in order to organize health care delivery (Figure 1). In
management strategies to transform the organizational status 2015, the Buenos Aires´s Public Healthcare System provided
quo. [2] Evidence has shown that more than a half of IT approximately 9,600,000 of consultations in ambulatory
projects result in failure.[3] Despite inevitable failures, setting. [8]
medical informatics leads to many successes. Implementing
information systems into complex healthcare organizations
Results
Conclusion
Implementing Health Information Systems in Public Health
faces a major challenge that requires political good
governance, human resources with specific skills and a health
information system able to adapt to the culture and
organizational context.
This paper describes first months of an EHR implementation
in Primary Care in Buenos Aires city. Good governance, a
Graph 4. Clinical records by specialty strategic implementation plan and the conformation of a
interdisciplinary work team with human resources trained in
Discussion health informatics, were key components for carrying out a
large-scale project and handling adequately the resistance to
The governance model implemented since December 2015 change.
allowed the successful implementation of a health information
system in Buenos Aires city. The implementation was carried References
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