Clinical Information exchange remains a crucial aspect in healthcare data management. According to a study, nearly 6 in 10 hospitals exchanged electronic information with other providers in 2012. In addition, policies such as the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health promoted hospitals to manage health information electronically. This helps providers by expanding their options over how to share health information electronically. As a result, managing clinical information has become a complex matter that involves looking at a number of factors. In this blog, we’ll cover information on security and privacy matters involving sharing information electronically. We’ll also cover the concept of an electronic health record.
Privacy and Security Matters
It goes without saying that the handling of clinical information has changed over time. For example, according to a journal, the way medical records are documented has changed over time. Because of the high use of clinical information by various parties, confidentiality remains a complex issue. For example,
“Information can be released for treatment, payment, or administrative purposes without a patient’s authorization” (Harman, 2012).
While patients retain their rights in keeping their information confidential, some exceptions apply. However the patient must grant access to the provider before sharing their information with an outside entity such as another hospital or a provider. As a result of these regulations, authorization rights come into play. In most cases, authorization rights start with the administrating staff who identifies users and decides over the amount of information needed. In addition, those with access to electronic clinical information become accountable over the use of it in a healthcare setting. This ensures that healthcare companies implement proper procedures to protect clinical information.
Electronic Health Record (EHR)
According to HealthIT, an electronic health record represents a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. In laymen’s terms, an electronic health record consists of a patient’s medical history, diagnosis, treatment, and test results. In addition, these records allow authorized users to have immediate electronic access to patient information. Finally, because of the rapid exchange, an EHR allows providers to share this information when necessary to other organizations. These can include pharmacies, emergency facilities, and other clinics.
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