Health Information Technology Governance Paper

In the health care industry, health information technology (HIT) has been evolving to adapt to the advances in health care resulting in efficient operations and quality patient care. Because of the evolution in health care practices and HIT, many health care organizations have started to update their systems from ICD-9 to the ICD-10 coding. The ICD-10 provided health care organizations more information, greater specificity, and more flexibility than its predecessor (Hazlewood, 2003). However, to implement the ICD-10 coding, the Information Technology (IT) governance is critical in the health care organization. By identifying the importance of IT governance, a health care organization can utilize a governance model and effectively manage decisions on IT development. IT governance is important in a

According to Pastore (2008), there are three common governance models that organizations use; central, local, and distributed. These three models consider where the IT authority should reside. By identifying the size of an organization, the organization could choose a model that would fit them best. For example, a large organization, such as Kaiser Permanente, would utilize a central model. With a central model, the organization can make decisions and create reporting relationships for all Kaiser Permanente hospitals. In addition to the size, culture creates a significant impact on the type of model chosen for the organization. IT leadership is a factor in an organization’s governance (Natale, 2011). A leader in IT must be connected with the overall leadership of the organization and understand the organization’s strategic goals. Having strong IT leadership would create positive strategic alignment, improve risk management, efficiently manage resources, improve performance, and deliver value through positive return of