| Course | HIM 200 Introduction to Health Information Technology |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | BS Health Information Management discussion post on the role of health IT |
| Length | About 330 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | BS Health Information Management |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for HIM 200 Module 1
Module One Discussion
Thirteen Years Digital, Still Feeding the Fax Machine
Every morning in the release-of-information office at Brennan County Medical Center, I empty the fax tray. Our hospital has used an electronic health record since 2013, yet about 40% of records from outside clinics and hospitals still arrive as faxed pages that someone has to scan, index and attach to the right chart. When I started this job, I assumed digital records meant the end of paper. The reality is more complicated, and that is why health information technology interests me.
Part of the story is how fast hospitals adopted records. Adler-Milstein and Jha (2017) compared hospitals that were eligible for federal HITECH incentives with ineligible hospitals, such as psychiatric and rehabilitation facilities, and found that adoption accelerated far more among eligible hospitals after the law passed. Money moved the industry from paper charts to electronic ones within a few years. But adoption inside one hospital is different from sharing between hospitals. Holmgren et al. (2017) measured four activities, finding, sending, receiving and integrating outside patient data, and found that fewer than a third of hospitals did all four in 2015. Integration, getting outside data into the chart in usable form, lagged most. That describes my fax tray exactly.
Sittig and Singh (2010) explain why. Their sociotechnical model describes eight connected dimensions, from hardware and software to workflow, people, organizational policies, outside rules and measurement. A record system can be excellent software and still fail if the clinic down the road uses a different system, if staff are not trained to send electronically or if nobody measures how often records arrive by fax.
I now see health IT as people, rules and habits as much as computers. Our hospital's next step is not a new system but a list of the clinics that fax us most often and a conversation with each about sending records electronically. For classmates: where does paper still survive in your workplace, and is the cause the technology or something around it?
References
Adler-Milstein, J., & Jha, A. K. (2017). HITECH Act drove large gains in hospital electronic health record adoption. Health Affairs, 36(8), 1416-1422. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2016.1651
Holmgren, A. J., Patel, V., & Adler-Milstein, J. (2017). Progress in interoperability: Measuring US hospitals' engagement in sharing patient data. Health Affairs, 36(10), 1820-1827. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2017.0546
Sittig, D. F., & Singh, H. (2010). A new sociotechnical model for studying health information technology in complex adaptive healthcare systems. Quality and Safety in Health Care, 19(Suppl. 3), i68-i74. https://doi.org/10.1136/qshc.2010.042085
What the HIM 200 Module 1 instructions ask for
Week one of HIM 200 normally opens with a prompt about where health information technology shows up in a place you know and what you want the course to teach you. Around 350 words is plenty for the opening post, with a pair of peer-reviewed or government sources in APA 7 and replies to two peers later. Pick one concrete scene, such as a form, a screen or a fax tray, and use research to explain it rather than opinion. Treat the technology as one part of a wider system of people and rules, and finish with a question that draws on the workplaces your classmates know. HIM 200 graders notice clean headings in HIM 200 papers. HIM 200 names and dates need checking before HIM 200 submission. HIM 200 prompts vary by term, so recheck HIM 200 directions.
How this HIM 200 Module 1 discussion example is built
A release-of-information technician describes emptying the fax tray every morning at a hospital that has used an electronic record since 2013. Adler-Milstein and Jha's HITECH study explains how quickly hospitals adopted records, Holmgren and colleagues' four interoperability activities explain why outside records still arrive on paper and Sittig and Singh's eight-dimension sociotechnical model explains why software alone cannot solve the problem. The post concludes that health IT is people, rules and habits as much as computers and asks classmates where paper survives. HIM 200 students can reuse this structure for HIM 200 work. HIM 200 claims here trace to cited HIM 200 sources. HIM 200 readers can adapt each section to HIM 200 data.
Where the HIM 200 Module 1 rubric puts the points
HIM 200 opening posts tend to be scored on four things: how well the chosen scene illustrates health IT, whether sources are reported correctly, whether core ideas such as adoption and exchange are understood and how clearly the writing flows, with replies judged separately. The highest marks go to writers who tie a daily task to national findings, keep adoption inside one hospital distinct from sharing across organizations and use a model to explain results. A closing question that makes classmates analyze their own settings also helps. HIM 200 marks favor careful formatting across HIM 200 sections. HIM 200 citations keep every HIM 200 argument credible. HIM 200 instructors weigh evidence heavily in HIM 200 grading.
HIM 200 Module 1 help: the mistakes that cost points
First health IT posts lose points when they praise technology in general terms, describe a system without explaining why it works as it does or cite sources without connecting them to the example. Another frequent gap is treating adoption and interoperability as the same thing. Start with a concrete scene, explain it with research, use a framework and ask a question that invites analysis. If your prompt asks about a specific technology, such as telehealth or patient portals, send it with your HIM 200 notes so the post addresses it. HIM 200 drafts start well from a HIM 200 outline. HIM 200 feedback already received guides HIM 200 revisions. HIM 200 rubrics posted in Brightspace clarify HIM 200 expectations.
Get HIM 200 Module 1 written to your instructions
Share the HIM 200 Module 1 prompt and a setting where you have seen health IT at work. The post will describe a concrete example, explain it with research on adoption and exchange, apply a framework and ask classmates a question that sparks analysis, within 24 to 48 hours, free the first time. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
HIM 200 Module 1 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HIM 200 Module 1 Discussion sample?
Every paragraph of the HIM 200 Module 1 post appears here: a hospital technician explains why records still arrive by fax years after going digital.
What did the HITECH Act do?
It offered federal incentives for adopting certified electronic health records; Adler-Milstein and Jha found it sped adoption among eligible hospitals.
What is interoperability?
The ability to find, send, receive and integrate patient data across organizations so it can be used in care.
What is a sociotechnical model of health IT?
Sittig and Singh's framework showing that technology, people, workflow, policies, rules and measurement interact to determine results.
Why do hospitals still use fax?
Because many partners cannot exchange data electronically, integration is hard and workflows and habits have not changed.