There are several roles within the health information management (HIM) profession. A HIM professional gathers, preserves, evaluates and guard’s personal health information within many different health care settings. One of the most important duties in regards to a HIM professional is ensuring compliance and upholding the current regulations in the health care industry. This paper will take a closer look at the specifics of what a HIM professional does to ensure compliance as well as the importance of education and certifications that many employers are now requiring for potential candidates in the HIM field.…
There are a number of business challenges in healthcare such as service quality, safety, rising costs, a severe shortage of skilled staff in order to meet the needs of patients with a complex burden of illness. To meet the challenges in front of us, will require a shift from acute care to more preventive and long-term chronic care management. This new care model must be supported by interoperable health information technology and a more patient-centric care system. www.cisco.com/web/strategy/docs/healthcare/07CS1034_HC_Whitepaper_r5.pdf…
A UB92 is a medical claim form that was previously used for facility billing. It is no longer accepted and has been replaced by the UB-04 (Redmond, n.d.).…
Health care technology continues to change every day. Look back to many or several years ago how our information was stored at doctors’ offices. Due to the growth of the internet, the evolution of electronic medical records and electronic health records has dramatically changed how physician-client information is exchanged. In the past you could walk into the doctor’s office an see massive charts scattered around everywhere. The front person would check in you, answer phone and then have to search for your chart. Now she only has to enter your name in the computer and all of your medical history that is allowed to be there is there. Today most doctor offices, clinics and hospitals use multiple high-tech computers. Overall, it has been a big advancement in technology .And everyone has benefited from the advancement of technology, the ease of availability of laboratory results, and the electronic ability to refill medications during an office visit. Both parties involves now have the capacity to share important health information by either the internet or…
Geographically defined communities (Rubin, 2008). Many participating communities, however, struggled with securing cost-effective technology, interoperable data sources, stakeholder trust, and strong political support. (Vest & Gamm, 2010) Following the 1999 Institute of Medicine Report, “To Err is Human,” which identified medical errors as a significant threat to the health of Americans that could be addressed, a new generation of federal efforts emerged to address these concerns, in part through the effective use of information technology. These, largely bipartisan, initiatives included the 2004 creation of the ONC within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the administration of President George W. Bush. Also in 2004, the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research (AHRQ) Health Information Technology Portfolio funded $166 million in grants and contracts to improve healthcare decision making, support patient-centered care and to improve quality and safety. (Health Information Technology Portfolio Program Overview) In addition to these federally funded initiatives, HIE developed organically in several markets and academic settings. The most well-known examples are Health Bridge in Cincinnati and the Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE). Another important, but often overlooked, setting for information exchange besides exchange between affiliated providers, is within closed systems such as large integrated delivery networks. (Dullabh, Moiduddin, Nye, & Virost, 2011). As you can see health information exchange is familiar within the government, health…
In the play Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare, the author, includes a vast amount foreshadowing in his work. Shakespeare often recurs to the fate of Romeo and his love for Juliet through certain characters such as Benvolio, whose advice for Romeo to remedy his lovesickness for Rosaline proves to be more than effective; thus, Shakespeare integrates foreshadowing.…
Consumers today have the ability to access information related to their daily lives or even information related to events happening on the opposite side of the world. However, if this same consumer needed access to his or her personal health information, the ability of the patient or their health care provider to obtain the information would be limited. (Medows) Personal health information is not used to its full potential to support effective and efficient care due to fragmented information creation and storage. Our fast-paced always on the go society calls for a change to this state of isolated, fragmented health information. Whether it be a patient relocated due to a natural disaster or being able to identify a patient who was prescribed a recalled drug, having access to health information no matter where the patient may be is necessary. (Vest and Gamm, 2010) Making health information technology (HIT) will not only enable healthcare consumers access to their own medical history but also ensure that healthcare providers have timely access to medical records, improve the ease and safety of e-prescribing, improve payer reimbursement, and provide the information needed for population based health planning. (Medows) Policy makers, researchers, industry groups, and health care professionals agree that health information exchange (HIE) is the much needed solution. (Vest and Gamm, 2010)…
Medical records consist of private health information that should remain private unless direct written consent is given by the patient. Information technological advances are coming at a rapid pace and the laws designated to protecting the patient 's right to privacy are being surpassed. It is then the responsibility of the healthcare provider to ensure that he or she is doing whatever necessary to protect the patient. It is the responsibility of the healthcare manager to ensure that all staff members are properly trained to handle the PHI that they have access to. All healthcare organizations should take steps to ensure that their organization is doing all that they can to be compliant with guidelines that are stated within federal and state laws, including using safeguards and implementing a formal information management plan. After all, the patient should be comfortable and able to trust those providing healthcare services to him or her enough to provide all pertinent information to be properly diagnosed and treated.…
According to Williams and Torrens (2010), technology is the driving force of health care. It helps in the storing and organization of patient records or information and gives access to doctors to medical records. Use of technology in health care allows better and faster diagnosis and treatments. The technology is very beneficial in overcoming communication barriers in health care. It has an impact in so many areas in the healthcare world such as economic, clinical, organization, and industrial impact as well as on patients and insurance beneficiaries, social, government and policy impact. It is a hope for a long, productive life for millions of people but it has to be properly implemented by trained individuals. Health care organizations must ensure that they hire the proper staff capable to implement it while providing security and protection of patients ' data. Proper implementation of technology allows capturing, track, record and recognizing illnesses quickly and treating them effectively. Technology lets people and communities to stay healthy by providing them access whenever it is needed. Moreover, it brings opportunities to wellness and will also be used to stabilize physiology, modify risky behaviors, design and field snap clinical trials advancing biomedical knowledge and care for individuals with health care challenges. Despite of all benefits that technology brings to…
Health Information Exchange and Electronic Health Records are essential for the continuity of care for patients and necessary for healthcare providers to be able to share documentation and communicate information readily with Electronic Health Records (EHR). This demand has led to the need to promote healthcare standards and to allow for use of electronic health records and health information exchange to promote quality health care. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview on the role of Health Information Exchange and Electronic Health Records in provision of quality healthcare.…
HIPAA security officers are trained in all HIPAA regulations and protocols and take an oath to uphold HIPAA regulations and report any deviations to the Department of Health Read more: HIPAA Security Officer Responsibilities | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6784702_hipaa-security-officer-responsibilities.html#ixzz2GC0xnucb…
Again, the question at hand is how the whole process can be made more efficient, not only for the office staff and physician, but also for the patient. The use of electronic health information change can make the process more efficient. “Health care organizations need to do more to help patients realize the full benefits of electronic data from emerging health information exchange systems, according to a new study commissioned by Consumers Union that appears in the March 2012 Health Affairs”, according to American Nurse. With the development of the electronic health information exchange networks, patient’s information…
The Importance of Body Language Body language, communicating through gestures, is often the key to a meaningful conversation. These gestures that we apply in our conversations often help us to get our point across, or to show someone something that we just can’t describe in words. Sometimes we communicate this way without even realizing it. Many gestures we perform on a daily basis affect the outcome of a conversation such as a person becoming needlessly insulted, divorce, and how people perceive someone.…
The concept of compassion fatigue was introduced in 1992, by Carla Johnson RN, while researching burnout in emergency department nurses, she found out that some of the nurses had lost their “ability to nurture”. Since then, various authors and many other professional groups outside nursing, such as physicians, social workers, government organization and police, and firefighters have adopted the concepts of combating compassion fatigue.…
Privacy, in healthcare is defined as patient’s right to control the disclosure of his or her confidential personal information. Security is defined as all the methods, processes and technology used to protect the confidentiality and safety of patient’s personal information. Privacy is very important aspect of the patient–physician relationship. Patients share personal information with their physicians to facilitate correct diagnosis and treatment, and to avoid adverse drug interactions. Privacy and security of patients health record has always been an important issue for the healthcare facilities. The need for stronger measures for protecting patient’s information is essential with the advent of Electronic Health Record…