Are Healthcare Facilities in MY Area Making the Switch to EHRs?
Briant Brantley
Fountainhead College of Technology
In this paper you will find that the transition from paper health records to electronic medical record is a transition that requires a lot of time and precise preparation and planning. Looking through the paper you will see that there are factors that need to be implemented. You first definitely have to have your medical records. Next you have to know the role that HIPPA will play in your transition because of regulation and violations. Then, you have to prepare for potential problems that you could possibly face. Next, you will see there are several things to evaluate from how long it will take to cost. You will see prices for workstation and the number of staff that you need to carry out your plan of action.
Are healthcare facilities in my area making the switch to EHRs? YES, they are. First , what is an EHR?( Electronic Health Record) An electronic health record is a record that resides in an electronic system specifically designed to support usurers by providing accessibility to complete and accurate data, alerts reminders clinical decision support system, links to medical knowledge and other aids (McWay, 2014). Second, what is “switching”? Switching in this text is the transitioning from paper health records to electronic health records by implementing transitional plan of action. This transition takes a lot of patience, time and money. There are several key factors that must be evaluated in order for the transition to go smoothly.
What Role does HIPPA play in the transition and how does it protect patient privacy? HIPPA has a set of regulations and guidelines the must be met and...
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This paper will examine the privacy rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA is a statute endorsed by the U.S. Congress in 1996. It offers protections for many American workers which improves portability and continuity of health insurance coverage. The seven titles of the final law are Title I - Health care Access , Portability, Title II - Preventing Health Care Fraud and Abuse; administrative simplification; Medical Liability Reform; Title III – Tax-related Health Provisions; Title IV – Application and Enforcement of Group Health Plan Requirements; Title V – Revenue Offsets; Title XI – General Provisions, Peer Review, Administrative Simplification; Title XXVII – Assuring Portability, Availability and Renewability of Health Insurance Coverage. (Krager & Krager, 2008)
US Congress created the HIPAA bill in 1996 because of public concern about how their private information was being used. It is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which Congress created to protect confidentiality, privacy and security of patient information. It was also for health care documents to be passed electronically. HIPAA is a privacy rule, which gives patients control over their health information. Patients have to give permission any health care provider can disclose any information placed in the individual’s medical records. It helps limit protected health information (PHI) to minimize the chance of inappropriate disclosure. It establishes national-level standards that healthcare providers must comply with and strictly investigates compliance related issues while holding violators to civil or criminal penalties if they violate the privacy of a person’s PHI. HIPAA also has boundaries for using and disclosing health records by covered entities; a healthcare provider, health plan, and health care clearinghouse. It also supports the cause of disclosing PHI without a person’s consent for individual healthcare needs, public benefit and national interests. The portability part of HIPAA guarantees patient’s health insurance to employees after losing a job, making sure health insurance providers can’t discriminate against people because of health status or pre-existing condition, and keeps their files safe while being sent electronically. The Privacy Rule protects individual’s health information and requires medical providers to get consent for the release of any medical information and explain how private health records are protected. It also allows patients to receive their medical records from any...
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, most commonly known by its initials HIPAA, was enacted by Congress then signed by President Bill Clinton on August 21, 1996. This act was put into place in order to regulate the privacy of patient health information, and as an effort to lower the cost of health care, shape the many pieces of our complicated healthcare system. This act also protects individuals from losing their health insurance if they lose their employment or choose to switch employers. . Before HIPAA there was no standard or consistency for the enforcement of the privacy for patients and the rules and regulations varied by state and organizations. HIPAA virtually affects everybody within the healthcare field including but not limited to patients, providers, payers and intermediaries. Although there are many parts of the HIPAA act, for the purposes of this paper we are going to focus on the two main sections and the four objectives of HIPAA, a which are to improve the portability (the capability of transferring from one employee to another) of health insurance, combat fraud, abuse, and waste in health insurance, to promote the expanded use of medical savings accounts, and to simplify the administration of health insurance.
Congress addressed growing public concern about privacy and security of personal health data, and in 1996 passed “The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act” (HIPAA). HIPAA sets the national standard for electronic transfers of health data. Before HIPAA, each state set their own standards. Now states must abide by the minimum standards set by HIPAA. States can enact laws to incorporate and/or strengthen the basic rights given by HIPAA.
In 2009 President Obama, through the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, pledged to provide incentives to the nation’s physicians and hospitals to convert to an electronic healthcare system in attempt to improve the quality of care and reduce cost (Freudenheim, 2010). By converting to an electronic system, we have the opportunity for improved communication between all healthcare providers and decreased cost to our healthcare system. The goal is to improve communication across all aspects of the service chain (Horan, Botts & Burkhard, 2010). Almost two years later, the conversion progress continues to be slow. Only one in four physician’s offices, mostly large groups, have implemented the electronic record system (Freudenheim, 2010).
Some of the things that HIPAA does for a patient are it gives patients more control over their health information. It sets boundaries on the use and release of health records. It establishes appropriate guidelines that health care providers and others must do to protect the privacy of the patients’ health information. It holds violators accountable, in court that can be imposed if they violate patients’ privacy rights by HIPAA. Overall HIPAA makes it to where the health information can’t b...
This paper will identify the use of Electronic Health Records and how nursing plays an important role. Emerging in the early 2000’s, utilizing Electronic Health Records have quickly become a part of normal practice. An EHR could help prevent dangerous medical mistakes, decrease in medical costs, and an overall improvement in medical care. Patients are often taking multiple medications, forget to mention important procedures/diagnoses to providers, and at times fail to follow up with providers. Maintaining an EHR could help tack data, identify patients who are due for preventative screenings and visits, monitor VS, & improve overall quality of care in a practice. Nurse informaticists play an important role in the adaptation, utilization, and functionality of an EHR. The impact the EHR could have on a general population is invaluable; therefore, it needs special attention from a trained professional.
In conclusion, technology has changed the world, as we knew it. Positive and negative come with change. The goal of the ACA, HIPPA, and EHRs is achieve positive patient outcomes, while protecting the integrity, trust and confidentiality, and decreasing health care cost. Privacy is a fundamental right of a patient, and nurses are expected to maintain confidentiality (Burkhardt & Nathaniel, 2014). A breach in confidentiality will result in lack of trust between nurse and patients. As a nurse, it is my responsibility to ensure my patients privacy, and to provide nursing care that is patient centered, not technology centered.
Electronic health records is medical information recorded on computers, the data consists of a variety of data, medical history, medication, allergies, diagnoses, immunizations, labs, radiology, vital signs, billing information, and personal statistics weight and age. The EHR is designed to help with medical errors. It helps reduce errors with allergies to a medication. Also help with reading legibility and eliminate the lost forms and paperwork. It allows for the patients history to be viewed by several doctors. Doctors or nurses can update information on your record.
An Electronic Health Record is defined by NEHTA Acronyms, Abbreviations & Glossary of Terms (p22, 2005) as “an electronic longitudinal collection of personal health information, usually based on the individual, entered or accepted by healthcare providers, which can be distributed over a number of sites or aggregated at a particular source. The information is organized primarily to support continuing, efficient and quality health care. The record is under control of the consumer and is stored and transmitted securely”
Currently, Kaiser Permanente, a nonprofit organization has already begun to implement the practice of electronic medical records. Kaiser Permanente patients have the privilege of sharing their medical history with each medical provider seen during their Kaiser membership. Depending on the level and type of information needed, every healthcare professional patients have encounters with within their geographical region will have access to notes, prescriptions, procedures, and diagnostic tests at the click of a mouse, to effectively and proficiently render care. All medical documentation provided to Kaiser Permanente from othe...
Health information opponents has question the delivery and handling of patients electronic health records by health care organization and workers. The laws and regulations that set the framework protecting a user’s health information has become a major factor in how information is used and disclosed. The ability to share a patient document using Electronic Health Records (EHRs) is a critical component in the United States effort to show transparency and quality of healthcare records while protecting patient privacy. In 1996, under President Clinton administration, the US “Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)” established national standards for the safeguard of certain health information. As a result, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 or (HIPAA) was established. HIPAA security standards required healthcare providers to ensure confidentiality and integrity of individual health information. This also included insurance administration and insurance portability. According to Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), an organization must guarantee the integrity, confidentiality, and security of sensitive patient data (Heckle & Lutters, 2011).
First thing first! Do you make an assessment of what you need to be done in your practice in order for you to come to a decision to convert to electronic health records? Do competition in the business pushed you to make further steps to upgrade your system from paper records to advance electronic health records in order to provide best possible care to your patients? Do you have enough budget or manpower to create changes in your practice or some kind of readiness for the ongoing transition? So, if you’re ready and willing to continue for complete overhaul of your system and face the continuing growth in technology and healthcare practice, now it’s time to do the research and look for the right vendor that will bring advancement and efficiency