EMR

The issue of hospital employees accessing other employees records has been ongoing since way before EMR was even thought of.  I can give you two examples that happened to me: 

When I was getting my divorce a guy in Housekeeping decided he was "in love" with me.  He went on several occassions to medical records and got someone to access my chart with my home phone # and address.  He started stalking me, calling all hours, sitting down the street from my house.  So I changed my phone # and didn't change it in my Medical Records.  My son was critically ill and his doc wanted him admitted to the hospital immediately, guess who could not get ahold of me all weekend because the phone # in my chart, and my son's chart were not updated.  Only when I got to work on Monday was there a message waiting for me to call his physician immediately.  So I corrected the phone #'s in the chart and he had them again within a week.

Second example:  I had to have a hysterectomy, I turned the necessary time off from work paperwork in to my Asst. Dept. Administrator who in turn told the Dept. RN.  Imagine how red my face got when I walked down the hallway infront of a whole hallway full of patient's waiting for x-rays and she blurted out the top of her lungs...I hear you are having a hysterectomy.  Don't you just love Dr. so and so, she is my doc too. 

So much for confidentiality in hospital employee's med. records.  Unfortunately I was working for a large HMO and my ins. was through them so I had no choice but to go there for my medical care.   I no longer work for them and none of my medical care is done at a location where I work anymore.

Had HIPAA been in effect during the surgery incident, I could have gotten both the nurse and the Asst. DA fired over it.  Who was giving my phone # out I have no way of knowing because I wasn't present when it happened.

Sadly EMR is only going to be as secure as the people who are entrusted to work with it.

• Obama's plan to implement EMR - Stephanie
  • Still unknown. - snap
  • I think that the idea of EMR is a good one. - They said what
    • WE, the MTs, do not do EMR, EMR is point and click - Oh...
      • Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought EMR was where - wannie
        • You are correct. - (NM)
  • EMR - TravelinMT
    • What about EMR and confidentiality? sm - anonamiss
      • Patient confidentiality - Stephanie
      • Hmmm, that could be - Trisha
    • Same thing Bush wanted and was critized for. nm - FYI
      • EMR - TravelinMT

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