Medical Records Management

Imagine that a former patient of your hospital				necessary steps for safeguarding patient
files a lawsuit against your hospital. The charge				information.
leveled against your medical center is 'the				Storing health care information and protecting that
mysterious disappearance of the plaintiff's medical				data is an ever increasing challenge for
records'. He claims that his medical registration and				administrators and IT professionals. Moreover, the
the files that record the previous treatments				documents should be stored in such a manner so
undergone by him are nowhere to be found. The				as to be easily retrieved for future use. In recent
entire hospital is put on alert as all the				years, electronic medical-records are rapidly
administrative personnel are ordered to locate the				replacing the documents in paper form. It is
'particular file'. Countless hours are lost in this				note-worthy that the patient data or the
process; the room where the medical records are				medical-record must incorporate: the patient's past
kept, has an appearance similar to a town hit by				medical history, age, gender, source of income,
a tornado or an avalanche. Panic and anxiety soar				number of family members in an individual
high, and the tedious process of 'hunting' for the				household, previous surgeries and any possible
file results in the wasting of time, energy and				complications as a result of that particular surgery.
money. Question: Could this unpleasant situation				In a typical health care organization, hundreds to
have been avoided? Answer: a resounding 'yes'.				thousands of medical and support staff need to
The ability to manage medical information				access patient data to do their jobs. The
effectively, is evocative of the ability to deliver				significant aim in this regard would be to
great care In most of the low income countries,				effectively enforce access control to hospitals
the majority of the hospitals or medical centers				information systems( for ensuring patient
are understaffed and the patients are usually				privacy), without hampering medical care
cramped in a limited space. Particularly in				efficiency and effectiveness. This can be attained
emergency cases, registering the patients' files				by only allowing the participants the
can be a daunting ordeal. To avoid chaotic or				medical-record personnel, hospital administrators
unpleasant situations from arising, effective				and clinical staff- to view the confidential patient
medical records management is of paramount				files.
importance.				A simple computer database is also of immense
Medical records management pertains to the:				importance to manage patient information,
planning, controlling, directing, organizing, training,				standardized medical records forms and
promoting and other managerial activities related				processes, and for safeguarding enhanced human
to the creation, maintenance, use and disposition				resource management efforts. Medical-records
of medical records to achieve adequate and				accessibility and completeness ensures physician
proper documentation of a health care				satisfaction, thereby allowing the physician to
organization's policies and transactions. To				concentrate on the treatment of the patient's
effectively carry out these functions, every				illness; rather than worrying about unorganized
hospital or health care center must have				medical records management. Therefore, a
personnel trained in developing and maintaining fully				commendable manner of managing medical
integrated information management, data storage,				records is one of the hallmarks for guaranteeing
protection and recovery programs. In other				the patient's confidence in a health care
words, it is one of the prime responsibilities of the				organization.
medical organizations and centers to take all

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Medical Records Management