Author : Deborah A. Adair
Publisher : Hcpro, a Division of Simplify Compliance
ISBN 13 : 9781578398812
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (988 download)
Book Synopsis The Legal Health Record Companion by : Deborah A. Adair
Download or read book The Legal Health Record Companion written by Deborah A. Adair and published by Hcpro, a Division of Simplify Compliance. This book was released on 2006 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Practical advice and policy guidance to manage patient records for legal scrutiny By most definitions, a health record is the set of documents used to provide optimum patient care and document the patient's progress across the continuum of care, generate a bill for appropriate reimbursement, and conduct audits and research. Whether on paper, in a hybrid format, or completely electronic, the medical record is the industry Bible--the source from which all other records and documents are generated. But medical records also serve as legal documents. At any time, a court may require a record as part of a legal proceeding, and you must be ready to provide it. The Legal Health Record Companion: A case study approach is a hands-on resource tool that shows you how to define and develop health records that meet legal requirements. You'll learn how to use the health record appropriately and efficiently--from the legal point of view--as well as from the more familiar patient safety and common-sense perspective. Developed from field experience Authors Deborah Adair and Karen Griffin use actual case scenarios from Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham & Women's Hospital in Boston to demonstrate how to put responsibility into best practice when developing sound and reliable legal health records. You will learn how to document a true "reflection" or evidence of a patient's true status create a legal health record definition that works for your facility protect the legal health record maintain the legal health record in a manner that ensures that the most accurate, well-organized, and accessible health information is available for the care and treatment of the patient employ best-practice operational standards The authors also include sample policies your can customize for your organization, a pertinent question and answer section, and a glossary of frequently used terms. What makes it a "legal" record? It's not easy to define what comprises a legal health record. Every organization has its own procedures for which documents are added to its records. Forms and policies differ, even within the organization. Professional organizations suggest record-keeping practices for clinical staff. Regulatory agencies add another level of record criteria. The HIPAA privacy and security rules place mandates on what defines a record. Ultimately it is your organization's responsibility to define its legal health record. That definition will change and you will continue to massage the definition as long as you have to--especially as you convert to electronic health records--to maintain the integrity of information you keep.