ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the component Technology and Infrastructure. It devotes the component healthcare information technology (IT) is radically changing the way provider organizations to include long-term/post-acute care LTPAC providers interact with patients/consumers and facilitate the delivery of care. The chapter discusses the characteristics of technology infrastructure that support the healthcare environment e.g. network, communications, data integration, privacy, and security. Technology infrastructure refers to the hardware and network resources as well as the services required for the existence, operation, and management of an information system. The IT infrastructure consists of all of the components that play a role in overall IT and IT-enabled operations. A standard IT infrastructure consists of the following five components: Data; Routers; Switches and Servers; Wired and Wireless Networks; Client Terminals and Devices and; Data Storage and Data Integration. Regulation of health IT is an important strategy to encourage healthcare administrators to adopt systems that use standardized data elements which are harmonized across vendors and facilities.
