:
New Warning for Hospitals and Physicians Using Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
Augusta, MI 49012
November 28 2005
RISKY RECORDS:
"Despite timesaving features, many Electronic Health Records leave
organizations unprotected in court," compliance expert says.
Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are the future of health information
management. President Bush, in his 2005 State of the Union address,
proposed the goal of electronic health records for most Americans
within 10 years. And just last week, the department of Health and Human
Services awarded an $18.6 million contract to four companies for the
development of electronic health records systems in 12 U.S. regions
that will serve as models for the nation.
Despite the many benefits EHRs have to offer patients and providers, some experts are advocating caution.
"Unfortunately, in our rush to automate the multiple functions of
healthcare record-keeping, we have placed the proverbial cart before
the horse," says Patricia Trites, President of Healthcare Compliance
Resources, a firm that consults with and trains health organizations in
HIPAA and other health compliance laws.
"The early development and implementation of electronic medical record
(EMR) and electronic health record (EHR) systems has been focused on
features that are timesaving and that can offset the cost of the
systems and 'enhance revenue opportunities.' In this rush to market
electronic records, the basic and well-established elements necessary
to create and maintain a valid medical record for clinical purposes,
administrative purposes, and most importantly for legal purposes, have
been overlooked and in some cases purposefully ignored. The current EHR
industry has designed, sold, and installed systems that have a high
risk of creating suspect healthcare data and patient information,"
Trites said.
Trites has personally audited a number of organizations' medical
records that have been created and maintained in an EHR system. In
every one of the audits she has performed, she says she has found
substantial risk for the organization and the individual providers if
their records are ever requested as part of an audit for reimbursement
issues or for medical/legal purposes, such as in a malpractice suit.
The good news is: There are ways to perform analysis, or due-diligence,
to test the EHR system before purchase, and after-the-fact, if an
organization already has an operating EHR system, says Trites.
"On average it costs an organization $32,606 per physician to implement
an EHR system. If healthcare organizations wish to protect their
investment, they should be pro-active about making sure they are
purchasing a system that leaves them fully protected," Trites says.
*** For more information on EHR compliance risk factors and the steps
organizations can take to protect themselves, please contact Patricia
Trites by phone at 1-800-973-1081 or email at
Pati@complianceresources.com.
ABOUT PATRICIA TRITES
Patricia Trites is President of Healthcare Compliance Resources, a firm
that provides training and consulting on compliance issues to medical
organizations. She is also President of Advocates for Documentation
Integrity and Compliance (www.DocIntegrity.com). Pati is on the
editorial advisory boards for Eli Press/The Coding Institute
publications, and the author of the Healthcare Organization and Medical
Office Compliance Program Guide. www.ComplianceResources.com
# # #
Patricia Trites (pati@complainceresources.com) CEO Healthcare Compliance Resources 507 W. Jefferson
Augusta, MI 49012 Phone : 269-731-2561 Fax : 269-731-4346
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