What is a Health Information System?

Learn what a health information system is, benefits, best practices, and more in Data Protection 101, our series on the fundamentals of information security

What is HIS?

A health information system (HIS) refers to a system designed to manage healthcare data. This includes systems that collect, store, manage and transmit a patient’s electronic medical record (EMR), a hospital’s operational management or a system supporting healthcare policy decisions.

Examples of Health Information Systems

+Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Electronic Health Record (EHR).
+ Practice Management Software.
+ Master Patient Index (MPI).
+ Patient Portals.
+ Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM).
+ Clinical Decision Support (CDS).

Benefits of Health Information Systems

  • Data analytics.
  • Collaborative care.
  • Cost control.
  • Easy Access to Patient Data
  • Structured Information
  • Population health management
  • Privacy and Security

Best Practices for Health Information Systems

  • Train employees.
  • Encrypt data.
  • Back up data.
  • Monitor usage.
  • Buy insurance.
  • Access vendor vulnerability.
  • Utilize multi-factor authentication.