Enhancing Care Coordination in Organ Transplantation via Health Information Technology

Author

Steve EssiFollow

Defense Date

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

Business

First Advisor

Victoria Yoon

Second Advisor

Yeongin Kim

Third Advisor

Paul Brooks

Fourth Advisor

Xiaojin Liu

Abstract

Health Information Technology (HIT) encompasses various technologies for managing and organizing healthcare information. Among these, Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) are becoming integral to national healthcare reform efforts due to their potential to improve healthcare quality and efficiency by facilitating better information sharing between health entities. HIEs provide systems for routine and efficient electronic sharing of patient health information across inter-organizational settings, bridging gaps between disparate and fragmented healthcare providers. This study investigates the impact of HIE in the context of kidney management, aiming to enhance care coordination between dialysis and transplant centers and improve health outcomes for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Utilizing a panel dataset from 2012 to 2018, consisting of 25,809 observations across 7,961 dialysis and 256 transplant centers to track HIE penetration and impact, we analyze the impact of HIE on patient health outcomes in kidney management, using dialysis centers as our unit of analysis. We also examine the moderating effect of HIE in enhancing regulatory oversight functions on transplant centers. Our results show that HIE significantly reduces the mortality ratio of ESRD patients, improves patient health outcomes, and enhances regulatory oversight by mitigating unintended consequences. This research contributes to the literature on healthcare information technology, specifically within the kidney management domain, on the role of HIE in enhancing information sharing between transplant and dialysis centers to improve patient health outcomes. It emphasizes the instrumental role of HIE in ensuring care coordination and highlights the potential role of HIE in enhancing regulatory oversight, which can be extended to other research settings.

Comments

Department: Information Systems

Rights

©Steve A. Essi

Is Part Of

VCU University Archives

Is Part Of

VCU Theses and Dissertations

Date of Submission

7-18-2024