Health Care Information Technology, Hospital Responsibilities, and Joint Commission Standards
- Scot Silverstein, MD scot.silverstein@ischool.drexel.eduCollege of Information Science and TechnologyDrexel UniversityPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- COMMERCE
- CONTRACTS
- HOSPITAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS
- INFORMATION SYSTEMS
- LIABILITY, LEGAL
- PATIENT SAFETY
To the Editor: In their Commentary, Dr Koppel and Mr Kreda1 made clear the problems associated with applying the customs and traditions of business software contracting and sales (where “hold harmless” and “keep defects secret” clauses are commonplace) to health care information technology (HIT) as if they are the same. I believe that ignoring their differences has likely created an epidemic of violations of hospital governing body responsibilities and Joint Commission standards for health care organization leadership.
For example, Joint Commission leadership standard LD.01.03.012 states, “The governing body is ultimately accountable for the safety and quality of care, treatment, and services.” The rationale for this standard states:
The governing body's ultimate responsibility for safety and quality derives from their legal responsibility and operational authority for [organization] performance. In this context, the governing body provides for internal structures and resources, including staff, that support safety and quality.2
Standard …
