Personal Health Records Can Save Lives, and That Life Could Be Yours Too!
We know what you are thinking after reading the title! Still wondering what Personal Health Record is? Well, if you’re a person who has trouble keeping your health records in a proper way, then this is the information you shouldn’t miss. You will be amazed how technology has made it easier for patients to maintain their own health record so they can recieve better quality healthcare services.
What is personal health record?
A personal health record (PHR) allows you to securely collect store, manage and share your own and your family's health records - whenever you want, where you want, and with whom you prefer. The correct definition of a PHR is still evolving, but PHR
…show more content…
Now I can access my medical records from anywhere, anytime via web-based gadgets and share the selected information with their concerned physician. This was a key step to managing my medical information and ensuring that in case of a medical emergency I am able to give all of the needed health information to those healthcare personnel treating me.”
“I’ve now been living with Lupus for more than half of my life and am never been healthier than I ever was. While I may suffer from pain and still have certain physical impediments, I view myself to be very lucky realizing that I could be in a more weakened state, not able to work or even walk. I can validate the fact that Personal Health Records can enhance health results and save lives.” She concludes.
So, you can see now how a personal health record could be the difference between life and death. Your doctor will not get the whole picture of your health condition due to lack of your past medical records. With a complete PHR, your doctor can simply review it and understand everything they need to know quickly about extensive questions or calling your former doctor for answers. This also eliminates the risk of wrong treatment and medication.
The PHR
Assignment – There are five common purposes for medical records. List each of these purposes and provide an example of each in healthcare. Having good medical records is very important, for the proper care of patients. “Medical records can be used to manage healthcare, track healthcare, provide clinical data, meet regulatory requirements, and document healthcare” (Allen, 2013, P. 57). Without the proper documentation there is no proof that it was ever done.
This information is important for all providers that are involved in a patient’s care. It also helps for reimbursements and if the services that were rendered were medically necessary. A personal health record also helps a patient to keep track of his or her information to ensure that it is all accurate.
Medical facilities improved responsibility when it came to their client’s medical history. It caused hospitals to push their faculty to learn a more secure policy that made the patients feel at ease about give his or her personal background. The act provided the patients with the ability to control what is allowed or not such as who can know his or her appointment information. HIPAA lets people have access to medical history without going through unnecessary loops.
Electronic health records are essential in allowing physicians to monitor their patients’ health, notice trends, and potentially prevent hospital readmissions, quickly diagnose diseases, and reduce medical errors. This is the first in a series of blog posts where we ask the question “What is Meaningful Use of an EHR?” In this post, we interview a physician at a family practice to learn more about how he is meaningfully using his EHR to coordinate patient care, prevent a hospital readmission and ultimately improve patient health. On the day we spoke, Dr. Frank Maselli of Riverdale Family Practice in the Bronx had just finished seeing 30 patients.
Annotated Bibliography on Meaningful Use and the Electronic Health Record Nursing Informatics Jennifer J. Carrillo RN Dr. Morse August 7, 2016 Annotated Bibliography on Meaningful Use and the Electronic Health Record In 2004 President Bush addressed the need for healthcare reform through the electronic health record. President Obama further expanded this notion and attached financial incentives to hospitals and providers who became meaningful users of the electronic health record.
"It's much cheaper to keep people well than it is to treat them when they're sick," he says. "Part of wellness will be monitoring what's specifically important about each patient, like bathroom scales for congestive heart failure patients or glucometers for diabetics that transmit data directly to their EHRs." -John D. Halamka, MD, MS(McBride). That being said the Electronic Health Record or EHR has made monitoring health even easier with the ability for patients to access their records from home, email their doctors among other
The more everyone knows about the EHR the better the office can run. Utilizing an EHR is very important. Not every staff member can see everything about a patient. They can only see what they need to for their job description. Receptionists get to input the patients name,
Electronic Health Records and Patient Confidentiality Technology has become an essential part of our everyday life therefore, it makes sense that doctors and hospitals get rid of the old fashioned paper charting and use technology to access patient records. Electronic health records (EHR) provide quick access to information, as doctors no longer have to wait for other providers to fax previous records to them. The accessibility of Electronic Health Records assist medical providers to make quick medical care decisions, by accessing previous care provided to patients including treatment and diagnosis. Quick access to information through EHR enables health care providers to treat patients faster as there is no need for records to be mailed or
HIPAA’s existence constituted as a necessary health care reform. This particular healthcare reform empowered patients by giving them more control and say over the handling of medical records. The HIPAA law also reshaped how health care providers handled patients’ medical records, especially concerning patient privacy (IHS, n.d.). Under the HIPAA law, the privacy rule includes the “national standards” that health care organizations must
Most people don’t think to worry or wonder where all of their information goes when they visit the doctor’s office, or how the doctor knew things about them from several years ago. They don’t ask the question especially when they go to a new doctor who knows the same thing about them that they’ve never talked about. Electronic Health Records, also known as EHR’s, are becoming some of the most important parts of medical offices around the country and are advancing more and more each day. Ever since the 80’s, EHR’s were being designed and formed, but not until 2009, when the HITECH Act came out, did they start becoming of key importance to the health care market. As they keep growing more and more each day, EHR’s are becoming vital to patient health.
Communication is an important factor in determining patient outcomes, patient experiences, and healthcare costs, both positively and negatively. In fact, communication breakdown accounts for two thirds of sentinel events, the most serious of errors reported to the Joint Commission, making it the leading cause of medical errors (Starmer et al., 2014). The Institute of Medicine (1999) conservatively estimates that between 44,000 and 98,000 patients die each year from medical errors. More recent estimates predicted this number to be upwards of 400,000 deaths annually, making medical errors the third leading cause of death in the United States (Makary & Daniel, 2016). Miscommunication and handoff errors are the primary point these errors occur.
By charting the information on the database, it allows all of the staffs that are involve with the patient care will be able to access it and communicate through it. With those information, it also allow the patient to have access as well to their health record and see what is going on. It allows patient to ask any question about their health. In our Adult Day Health Program, our database system is not advance to allow patient have access to their file. However, staffs members in the program do have access to the patient online file and can read what is going on from with the patient regarding their health, social service related, and their social interaction activities involvement in the program.
The ROI of EHRs article breaks down the importance of Electronic health records. Healthcare leaders need to have an open-mind about electronic health records to gain a better organized system. Health organizations spend billions trying to find a working system instead of changing to the electronic health records system. Most organizations are making their IT department play bigger role working along with physicians to make electronic health records a key component of healthcare facilities making EHRs an effective program. Electronic Health Records are important to improving the quality of care provided, being able to find a patients history of care at a click of a button.
Providing patients with a personal copy of their medical records places the patient in the security role. Asking the system to provide copies to a person or persons unknown is more complex. Asking the organization to electronically transmit information to an unknown site may require the organization on to verify the recipient can handle PHI. The risk of transmission error is significant. The patient may request only portions be sent.
The advantage of legislation such as HITECH Act, FDASIA, HIPPA, and ACA are a step to transform health care. This is done by enhancing privacy and security of patient data, provide better health care in expanding all aspects of patient care, including safety, effectiveness, communication, and education. Another advantage of the legislation is to improve efficiencies and lower health care costs by promoting devices for preventive medicine and improving coordination of medical services. The disadvantage of legislations in place for EHR is the increase in vulnerability for HIPPA and HITECH Act violations.