Improving Patient Care
Improving Patient Care and Quality Utilizing the Electronic Health Record
Melissa Fuller
HCA 417
John Saindon
April 29, 2013
Improving Patient Care and Quality Utilizing the Electronic Health Record
Improving patient care is a process that always has room for improvements. It is important to make sure patients receive the best quality care available. "Studies suggest that high quality patient care relies on careful documentation of each patient 's medical history, health status, current medical conditions, and treatment plans" (Glandon, Smaltz, & Slovensky pg.3). To help with the process of quality care for patients HIPAA laws have been set in place. "The Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 required the Department of Health and Human Services to establish national standards for electronic healthcare transactions and national identifiers for providers, health plans, and employers" (Glandon, Smaltz, & Slovensky pg.118).
Health insurance portability and accountability act also known as HIPAA was passed by congress back in 1996 to give patients’ rights over their health care privacy. With all the new technology that has been introduced into health care insurances and providers are able to conduct patient information electronically. By 2015 everything will be processed through computers and laptops nothing will be done on paper anymore. With that being said congress had to provide additional privacy protection for patients. According to Richard Gartee, “before HIPAA, no generally accepted set of security standards or general requirements for protecting health information existed in the healthcare industry. At the same time, new technologies were evolving, and the healthcare industry began to move away from paper processes and rely more heavily on the use of computers to pay claims, answer eligibility questions, provide health information, and conduct a host of
Melissa Fuller
HCA 417
John Saindon
April 29, 2013
Improving Patient Care and Quality Utilizing the Electronic Health Record
Improving patient care is a process that always has room for improvements. It is important to make sure patients receive the best quality care available. "Studies suggest that high quality patient care relies on careful documentation of each patient 's medical history, health status, current medical conditions, and treatment plans" (Glandon, Smaltz, & Slovensky pg.3). To help with the process of quality care for patients HIPAA laws have been set in place. "The Administrative Simplification provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 required the Department of Health and Human Services to establish national standards for electronic healthcare transactions and national identifiers for providers, health plans, and employers" (Glandon, Smaltz, & Slovensky pg.118).
Health insurance portability and accountability act also known as HIPAA was passed by congress back in 1996 to give patients’ rights over their health care privacy. With all the new technology that has been introduced into health care insurances and providers are able to conduct patient information electronically. By 2015 everything will be processed through computers and laptops nothing will be done on paper anymore. With that being said congress had to provide additional privacy protection for patients. According to Richard Gartee, “before HIPAA, no generally accepted set of security standards or general requirements for protecting health information existed in the healthcare industry. At the same time, new technologies were evolving, and the healthcare industry began to move away from paper processes and rely more heavily on the use of computers to pay claims, answer eligibility questions, provide health information, and conduct a host of
References: Gartee, R. (2011). Electronic Health Records (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Package ISBN: 9781256159896. Shultz, D. (2012) As Patients ' Records Go Digital, Theft and Hacking Problems Grow. www.kaiserhealthnews.org Hanson, W.C., Healthcare Informatics. (2006) McGraw-Hillg.aspx