Hybrid Record In Health Care

A hybrid record is a medical record that contains both paper and electronic information. This is a legal record, so all federal and state regulations need to be followed to keep the integrity of the record. As paper records are added to the electronic chart, protocol should be in place regarding the timeframe to scan or fax into the electronic file, possibly within 24 hours. This should be reviewed annually and updated with any necessary changes. Electronic records are much easier to access, view and maintain. The providers have full access of the patient’s medical history so they are able to thoroughly care for them. The records can be indexed and added to a database that can be queried. A hybrid record can also help the facility to achieve

These requests are for very specific pieces of documentation, whereas a normal release of information would be for all patient records or records for a period of time. When the records are subpoenaed the professional has a time limit to produce the records. This can be a challenge determining if the record is paper or electronic. Explanation is often necessary regarding the different record formats. The security and integrity of the record could potentially be at risk as well. Multiple document locations could be different departments overseeing the record, and this could cause the validity of the record to be questioned. The Willow Bend Hospital policy does take into consideration the regulations in the state of Florida. Florida law requires public facilities to maintain the patient record for seven years after the last entry in the record. Several types of records that need to be kept include all progress and discharge notes, medical history and lab data According to Florida law, a patient does have the right to access their records but the provider can charge for a reasonable fee for

Once it’s imaged, the paper copy needs to be marked that it was scanned and then filed appropriately for the time period allowed in the state. There could potentially be hybrid charts for a specific Medicare patient. The provider also needs to document the steps taken to image, and implement a quality process regarding the retention of records. Otherwise, HIPAA requires that a physician who is billing Medicare keep the record for a minimum of six years. If the patient is in a managed care setting, the retention time period is ten years. The HIPAA privacy rule was established so providers take appropriate measures to store and safeguard patient records. Staff members must be trained accordingly and safeguard need to be put in place. When a record is destroyed, it must be shredded (or another type of destruction technique) so the document is unable to be identified or recreated. The records can’t be thrown in a dumpster, but rather a licensed company needs to dispose of them. The HIPAA rule does not take into consideration the amount of time a record is kept, this would fall under the state