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Healthcare IT Foundations

Lesson 01.01

Healthcare Information Technology (HIT)

EDITORIALLY REVIEWED
A fictional patient check-in connects registration, the EHR, HL7 and FHIR exchange, an integration engine, radiology and billing. Supporting icons represent databases, networks, security and medical devices under the Healthcare IT umbrella.
Visual guide · Healthcare IT: one connected care ecosystemOpen full-size image
PLAIN-LANGUAGE OVERVIEW

Healthcare Information Technology, or HIT, means all the technology a hospital uses to care for patients and run its daily work.

It includes computers, clinical applications, databases, medical devices, networks, security tools, and the standards that let different systems exchange information.

What belongs to Healthcare IT?
  • EHR and EMR systems that store the patient chart
  • Laboratory, pharmacy, radiology, billing, and scheduling systems
  • HL7 and FHIR standards that describe how information is exchanged
  • Integration engines such as Mirth Connect that route and transform data
  • Databases, APIs, networks, monitoring, and cybersecurity tools
Real-World Example: Ronaldo checks in

Ronaldo arrives at Gotham Memorial Hospital with a painful ankle. The registration clerk creates his visit in the EHR. That one action starts work in several connected systems.

  1. The EHR stores Ronaldo's identity and visit information.
  2. An HL7 message carries the new visit to the integration engine.
  3. The integration engine sends the information to radiology and billing.
  4. Dr. Messi reviews the X-ray result in the EHR.
  5. Security and audit tools record who viewed the information.
HOW THE INFORMATION MOVES
  1. Registration
  2. EHR
  3. HL7 message
  4. Integration engine
  5. Radiology and billing
Key Concept

HIT is the large umbrella. HL7, FHIR, Mirth Connect, SQL, EHRs, and hospital applications are different tools or parts underneath that umbrella.

Interview Takeaway

A clear answer is: Healthcare Information Technology is the complete set of systems, standards, infrastructure, and security controls used to collect, store, exchange, and protect healthcare information.

KNOWLEDGE CHECK

Practice this topic

Question 1 of 5

What does Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) include?

Score: 0 correct
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Healthcare Information Technology (HIT)

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