(HIM) Health Information Management Module Overview

Health Information Management 

Introduction

Healthcare is finally meeting the information age! No, this is not a sci-fi thriller where the patient is electronically "beamed" or loaded into a computer system for therapeutic treatment. Frankly, that would be a safety hazard. Health Information Management provides a milieu of communication options that improve the quality of patient care in a safe environment. Much like the Cinderella story, an antiquated paper chart will experience a transformation that changes the delivery method but not the content.

This module will address communication, data management, and the legalities faced in the modern healthcare profession.

Essential Questions

  1. What is Health Information Management?
  2. What is the importance of adhering to information systems policies and procedures?
  3. How are documentation errors corrected in the electronic medical record (EMR)?
  4. How is the protection of individual privacy and confidentiality maintained in the EMR?
  5. What email and social media access is considered inappropriate?
  6. Why does an organization need a contingency plan for EMR?
  7. How are computers used in Healthcare settings?
  8. What part of the computer is the "brain" or processor of information?
  9. What legal and/or regulatory requirements are electronic medical records subject to?
  10. Why should you avoid bold letters, all caps, and sarcasm in an email?
  11. What defines a website as credible and reliable?

Module Minute

The processes working together to create, share, maintain, and store a medical record are governed by health information management professional and legal standards. The patient has the right to privacy and confidentiality under HIPAA whether the medical record is contained in a paper chart or an electronic format. One method of importance is the application of an electronic lock or encryption on protected health information as a privacy measure. Computers are used to regulate imaging systems, laboratory processing as well as data management. Healthcare organizations experience loss of power that lead to electronic system failure. Alternate measures are established to ensure the comfort and care of the patient should an electronic system failure occur. The alternate measures often require a return to previously established procedures resulting in data input at a later time when all systems are a go.

Keywords

  1. Facsimile/Fax machine - an exact copy, especially of written or printed material
  2. Attachment - an extra part or extension that is or may be attached to something to perform a particular function Carbon copy/Cc – Email definition: to send a copy of a message to additional recipients.
  3. Credible - able to be believed; convincing
  4. Reliable - consistently good in quality or performance; able to be trusted
  5. Central processing unit - the part of a computer in which operations are controlled and executed.
  6. HEDIS – Health Plan Employer Data and Information Set; an organization that provides quality care guidelines
  7. Template - a preset format for a document or file.
  8. Contingency - a provision for a possible event or circumstance:
  9. DICOM – Digital imaging and communications in medicine
  10. PACS - Picture Archiving & Communication System
  11. Confidentiality - the process of keeping information secret
  12. Database - a structured set of data held in a computer, especially one that is accessible in various ways
  13. Telemedicine - the remote diagnosis and treatment of patients by means of telecommunications technology.
  14. EHR - Electronic Health Record - many components that work together to create, share, maintain and store an accurate and complete health record. (AHIMA)
  15. Encryption - conceal data in (something) by converting it into a code
  16. HITECH Act – enacted as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, goal to promote the adoption and meaningful use of health information technology.

 

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