Optimizing U.S. Health Care Processes - A Case Study in Business Process Management

Inconsistent and incomplete information due to the diversity of isolated information architectures in modern healthcare enterprises is one of the major problems information technology has to face in healthcare. The approach of this work is to apply existing Business Process Management principles to medical information systems providing healthcare enterprises a reliable and timely access to relevant patient information. In doing so, this work outlines a workflow implementation of a clinical infection control process done in collaboration with a major healthcare provider and a regional healthcare facility in the U.S. The workflow utilizes the Health Level Seven (HL7) communication standard to integrate disparate systems and to automate clinical decision making according to clinical knowledge. The final data analysis clearly emphasizes the capability of Business Process Management to improve the integration of information, increase the quality of patient care, reduce health worker's stress, and reduce costs of treatment.