Digital Documentation: More or Less?
Remember the blue book? Starting as early as junior high school, teachers would hand out that pale blue 8” x 8” booklet, giving each student 50 minutes to handwrite everything they knew about a particular subject. Urban legend suggested teachers issued grades based on the number of pages filled rather than the contents of the illegible scribble. Because handwriting did not allow for cutting and pasting, there was no verbatim insertion of multiple Wikipedia pages to “enhance” a test-taker’s spontaneous brilliance. The essay length was determined by the knowledge of the student and the quickness of the pen.
Vendor Error Leads to Breach
Medicare Compliance Watch CHI Franciscan Health Highline Medical Center (Highline) in Burien, Washington, is notifying more than 18,000 patients of a data breach affecting protected health information (PHI) stored with a vendor, Highline said in a statement. On July 22, R-C Healthcare Management, a vendor that performed services for Highline prior to 2014, informed the … Continued
INFOGRAPHIC: The Real Cost of Paper-Based Informed Consent Processes
Check out this infographic from FormFast to learn more about the real costs of a paper-based consent process and how the right Mobile Bedside Consent Automation Solution can benefit your organization. Can your hospital afford to keep this process paper-based?
Health IT and Diagnostic Safety: Promise and Peril
By Susan Carr When it comes to information technology (IT), clinicians and hospitals might advise, “Be careful what you wish for.” Embraced as the answer to many of healthcare’s safety problems, technology provides useful tools that may improve but in no way guarantee safety. In fact, health IT can introduce as well as prevent or … Continued
MACRA Targets Meaningful in Meaningful Use
By Barry P. Chaiken, MD, MPH The 2015 Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) opened the way for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to streamline the quality improvement and healthcare information technology programs it built over the past several years. Since the passage of the 2009 HITECH Act, the quality … Continued
An EHR Tailored for Pediatricians Closes Some Gaps
Modifying electronic health record software can help catch early signs of childhood obesity, problems with oral health, vision, and hearing, and the risk of developing autism, expert says.
Top Patient Safety Concerns Touch on IT, Patient Identification Issues
This year’s list of top patient safety concerns proves that health systems continue to battle health IT implementation issues, while also struggling with patient safety stalwarts like disinfection, medication errors, and even patient identification.
Millions of Health Records for Sale by Hacker Who Allegedly Stole Them
The protected health information (PHI) of nearly 10 million individuals was allegedly posted for sale by the hacker who stole the data, according to Motherboard.
The hacker posted the first batch of approximately 655,000 records on June 25, and posted 9 million alleged patient insurance details on June 27.
To Do No Harm, Rethink How to Measure Hand Hygiene
By Paul Alper, BA Primum non nocere is a Latin phrase that means, “First, do no harm.” It is a precept taught to healthcare students around the world and paraphrased in the Hippocratic Oath. Unfortunately, a vast amount of avoidable harm still takes place in healthcare settings worldwide. The good news is that a new … Continued
Transforming the Continuum of Care With Technology
By Sally Graver Judy Murphy, RN, FACMI, FHIMSS, FAAN, has been a leader in health information technology (IT) for more than 25 years. She is currently chief nursing officer (CNO) for IBM Global Healthcare. Prior to joining IBM, Murphy served as CNO and deputy national coordinator for programs and policy at the Office of the … Continued