More handpicked essays just for you.
Security safeguards for electronic medical records
Security safeguards for electronic medical records
Security of medical records
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
I will compare the Terminal-Digit and Alphabetic filing systems. The Terminal-Digit system requires slightly more training than the Alphabetic system but offers more security. The Alphabetic system compromises security because patient names are displayed on the outside of the record, which makes patient-specific information easier to locate for unauthorized persons; the Terminal-Digit system encrypts the patient’s identification with the use of numbers. Both systems require a significate amount of space but overall, the Terminal-Digit system is a more efficient system. If I were responsible for choosing a filing system for an ambulatory setting, I would choose the Terminal-Digit filing system over the Alphabetic filing system. Generally,
As the evolution of healthcare from paper documentation to electronic documentation and ordering, the security of patient information is becoming more difficult to maintain. Electronic healthcare records (EHR), telenursing, Computer Physician Order Entry (CPOE) are a major part of the future of medicine. Social media also plays a role in the security of patient formation. Compromising data in the information age is as easy as pressing a send button. New technology presents new challenges to maintaining patient privacy. The topic for this annotated bibliography is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Nursing informatics role is imperative to assist in the creation and maintenance of the ease of the programs and maintain regulations compliant to HIPAA. As a nurse, most documentation and order entry is done electronically and is important to understand the core concepts of HIPAA regarding electronic healthcare records. Using keywords HIPAA and informatics, the author chose these resources from scholarly journals, peer reviewed articles, and print based articles and text books. These sources provide how and when to share patient information, guidelines and regulation d of HIPAA, and the implementation in relation to electronic future of nursing.
For years now, the healthcare system in the United States have managed patient’s health records through paper charting, this has since changed for the better with the introduction of an electronic medical record (EMR) system. This type of system has helped healthcare providers, hospitals and other ambulatory institutions extract data from a patient’s chart to help expedite clinical diagnosis and providing necessary care. Although this form of technology shows great promise, studies have shown that this system is just a foundation to the next evolution of health technology. The transformation of EMR to electronic heath record system (EHR) is the ultimate goal of the federal government.
This technology assist the nurse in confirming patients identify by confirming the patients’ dose, time and form of medication (Helmons, Wargel, & Daniels, 2009). Having an EHR also comes with a program that allows the medical staff to scan medications so medication errors can be prevented. According to Helmons, Wargel, and Daniels (2009) they conducted an observational study in two medical –surgical units one in the medical intensive care (ICU) and one in the surgical ICU. The researchers watched 386 nurses within the two hospitals use bar code scanning before they administrated patients’ medications. The results of the research found a 58 % decrease in medication errors between the two hospitals because of the EHR containing a bar code assisted medication administration
Abstract: Electronic medical databases and the ability to store medical files in them have made our lives easier in many ways and riskier in others. The main risk they pose is the safety of our personal data if put on an insecure an insecure medium. What if someone gets their hands on your information and uses it in ways you don't approve of? Can you stop them? To keep your information safe and to preserve faith in this invaluable technology, the issue of access must be addressed. Guidelines are needed to establish who has access and how they may get it. This is necessary for the security of the information a, to preserve privacy, and to maintain existing benefits.
According to HIMSS The Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a longitudinal electronic record of patient health information generated by one or more encounters in any care delivery setting. It includes information from patient demographics, medications, to the laboratory reports. Introduction of Electronic Medical Records in healthcare organizations was to improve the quality care and to lessen the cost by standardizing the means of communication and reducing the errors. However, it raises the “eyebrows” of many when it comes to patient confidentiality and privacy among healthcare organization.
Patient Health Records are one of the most protected and needed pieces of information in healthcare. Patient Health records (PHR’s) are becoming electronic to become more easily available to health care providers. There are some drawback that have emerged such as the competency of the security of these Electronic Health Records (EMR’s). Growing concern from the baby booming generation over their privacy and security. HER work to give medical information to healthcare providers across many forms of data. This is to ensure less errors and overlooked symptoms that can cause an impediment in a patient quality
The estimated $20 billion medical transcription industry[1] turns a doctor’s audio notes into an electronic record. These notes could contain diagnosis, x-ray analysis or a myriad of information essential for communication between healthcare providers[2]. It could also contain sensitive information such as whether a patient has cancer, a sexually transmitted disease, or some other information that the patient would like to keep private.
Today, you have more reason than ever to care about the privacy of your medical information. This information was once stored in locked file cabinets and on dusty shelves in the medical records department.
Healthcare professionals associated with medical billing and coding know the progress the technology has made so far. In the last few decades, medical billing and coding has switched from being a paper-based system to a computerized format. Under HIPAA laws, medical practitioners had to develop new software in order to send out electronic bills. With the advent of electronic medical records (EMR), with one touch of a button, doctors, Nurse Practitioners and PAs can gain access to all the care a patient has ever received from every healthcare facility the patients visited previously and can figure out possible illnesses. This enables statistical documentation of the population as a whole as well. EMR can also make the healthcare system more transparent and allow integration with reimbursement data. As the healthcare system changes, this will prevent unnecessary costs and make it easier to get the reimbursements needed to treat a patient.
In order for hospitals and other health care facilities to prevent the thousands of deaths and injuries that occur every year due to medical errors; health care systems were required to implement new record keeping technology. This technology has made patient information and treatment accessible to all who needed to see it. This is especially important when a patient has more than one attending physician and their care relies on each doctor knowing what the other one has done, serving as the prime communication tool between doctors. If organizations do not centralize their technology and essentially their patient databases, the potential for duplicate work or inefficient patient care can exponentially increase. These high tech medical records can help protect physicians and hospitals alike against any lawsuits that may be filed on behalf of their patients. By correctly and thoroughly documenting all symptoms, illnesses, treatments, medication dosages, and diagnosis’ the doctor and health care providers can effectively prove what actions were taken with the patient, communicate with third party billers, and even use the gathered information for teaching purposes. Keeping a precise record of a patient’s medical treatment makes a large difference in many aspects of health care; especially when a negligence tort or claim is filed against the hospital and/or a doctor.
In the modern era, the use of computer technology is very important. Back in the day people only used handwriting on the pieces of paper to save all documents, either in general documents or medical records. Now this medical field is using a computer to kept all medical records or other personnel info. Patient's records may be maintained on databases, so that quick searches can be made. But, even if the computer is very important, the facility must remain always in control all the information they store in a computer. This is because to avoid individuals who do not have a right to the patient's information.
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).
“There are two concepts in electronic patient records that are used interchangeably but are different-the electronic medical record (EMR/EHR) and the electronic health record. The National Alliance for Health Information Technology (NAHIT) defines the EHR as the electronic record of health-related information on an individual that is accumulated from one health system and is utilized by the health organization that is providing patient care while the EMR accumulates more patient medical information from many health organizations that have been involved in the patient care. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has been urging the healthcare industry to adopt the electronic patient record but initially
Over the last several years, electronic medical records are becoming more prominent in health care facilities, replacing traditional written records. As many electronics are becoming more prevalent with the invention of numerous smartphones and tablet devices, it seems that making medical records available electronically would be appropriate for the evolving times. Even though they have been in use to some extent for many years, the “Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health section of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has brought paperless documentation into the spotlight” (Eisenberg, 2010, p. 8). The systems of electronic medical records mainly consist of clinical note taking, prescription and medication documentation,
In recent years, electronic health records have become a forefront to quality health care. However, prior to this time medical records were stored in paper charts. Furthermore, even with electronic health records, much patient information is still printed and transmitted along the continuum of care. This continues to allow vulnerability in access to protected patient information and potential for data breaches. Breaches can occur due to human error, improper disposal, hacking of information, and numerous other reasons. One breach occurred due to both human error and improper disposal in a regional hospital located in Pennsylvania.