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Study found that electronic health records did not boost patient care. sm

Posted By: mh on 2007-07-11
In Reply to:

Link to article on yahoo news stating that electronic health records fail to improve care, study says.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/records_dc;_ylt=AsT2t1nasUEaoOxgIsyoMUOs0NUE

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Study found that electronic health records did not boost patient care. sm - mh
- That study used very old data. - Msla MT

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Could your hubs become a patient of a home health care agency and then you could work for them
s

patient records and prisoner records
Does anybody know if our USA prison system is keeping prisoner records in the good old USA, or are those records offshore outsourced too? I am just curious because it seems to me that law enforcement in general does not offshore records, and I was wondering about prisoner records? If anybody knows, please post. Thanks in advance.

Electronic Medical Records?? What do you think? SM

Ok, so I went to my doctor's office today and noticed that they just installed a computer station for all doctors in the clinic to start doing their own records while they are visiting you! What do you guys think?? Is this the end of our profession or is our profession going turn it to something else..like editing those reports that the doctors have to type.

Is this a real problem or will it be many years from now before it effects us? Let me know your thoughts.

Thanks....

Electronic Medical Records
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electronic medical records
Does anyone have info regarding EMR rules for doctors. I was told by a physician today that by 2010 that all doctors were supposed to be EMR. What will this do to our transcription jobs? Any info appreciated.

electronic medical records

Here's the scoop on EMR.... right now not all facilities have everything electronic, but they are working on getting electronic on all records, however, there will still be paperbased files. What MTs need to do is to become familiar in the electronic field and not just limit their skills to transcription, because, lets face it today NO ONE stays at one job for years and years, no matter what the specialty, you need to keep educating yourself, better your skills, and move on to bigger and BETTER things!!! It will eventually change, after all, even AMTA changed their name:)

Electronic medical records. nm
nm

Electronic Medical Records
Not all EMR systems rely solely on CPOE-type technology. Every acute care account I have worked on in the last 4 or 5 years has an EMR component. The medical records are stored digitally, which allow to any physician with access to the system to pull the patient's record.

The physicians on my current account can input data through point and click (primarily ER notes and radiology which allows immediate access to the information) or they can choose to dictate (H&Ps, consults, ops, and discharges). The dictated reports are still transcribed or edited by MTs.

I am sorry, I meant Electronic Medical Records, not redords.
nm

Electronic medical records...Is there an option out there for MTSO's SM

I'm wondering if there is a program out there that allows a small MTSO to provide EMR to a clinic of three physicians.

I'm looking for a web-based transcription program that allows me to send/receive dictation on the web and that allows them to access the finished records via the web.

Any ideas? TIA

It's probably an electronic health record.
They probably got an electronic health record where it is basically a point and click system that creates a progress note, does the coding, etc. I think this is going to hurt transcription greatly.

Ticked: Explain why you think making records electronic will affect us.
nm

Health records

Where can I locate the AHDI recommendation on length of time for MT business to retain health records?

If it's ok with you if your health records
go to some filthy disgusting third-world country, at the expense of your own job and livelihood, be my guest. FYI HIPAA laws are only for this country. they can do whatever they want with your private health records. It's not just fires. The QA sucks, communication barriers suck, economic consequences of MTs who have lost their jobs BECAUSE of greedy Indian MTs,.... List goes on. Go ahead and be a bleeding heart, but don't be surprised when your job security stops beating as well.

Old patient records

Does anyone know when you no longer have an account what do you do with the old records. Can they be deleted because they are no longer your account or do you have to save them in case the account ever needs them? All their notes over the years have either been printed and delivered or emailed to them and I don't keep them past a year.

Old patient records
When I closed up my accounts, I always gave the reports I saved on CDs back to the clinics. After all, I didn't need them any longer.

I found the study guide (sm)

was good with examples on the test and covered all areas. However, the dictation CD probably has caused many a heart attack. None of the dictations were as bad as that thing!

I don't really know how you can study too much for the beast besides brushing up on the ol' BOS. The first part was a stinker, though.

Thanks, by the way!

I am not sure about the health records part
PO does not have any of my husband's health care records, and he does not use any sort of PO identification number when he goes to the doctor. So I am a little confused by that statement.

RE: OFFSHORING OF U.S. PATIENT RECORDS..SM
I think the solution is to send a standardized letter to every major medical facility, as well as the major medical insurance carriers (Aetna, Health America, BC/BS, Medicare and Medicaid), addressing corporate heads and informing them that their doctors' medical records risk being transcribed overseas in a foreign country where HIPAA regulations do not apply and cannot be enforced. Address the big wigs to get their attention because I truly believe many are not aware of what is happening. There are so many U.S. transcription companies who advertise, snag the client, and provide a contract for the doctor or medical facility in no way indicating that they send their dictation overseas, only to have it available first thing in the morning. So what if the time frame is good. If I were a doctor, I would not even consider the risk of sending my patients' personal information to another county and risking the issue of security to save a few dollars. The insurance companies, who pay the insurance claims on office visits, hospitalizations, surgeries, long term care, should be the first to be made aware of this ridiculous situation. Physician practices, hospitals, hospital administrators, and MTSO's need to put a stop to providing services to offshore companies who work for slave wages, takes jobs away from hard working and experienced U.S. MTs, and jeopardize the security of confidential information regarding our U.S. citizens. Let India transcribe their fingers off for their country's citizens. America, quit trying to save a few dollars by jeopardizing our citizen's most private information. This is such a joke!

The new Obama Plan for Health Records
So, anyone out there --- What do u think this new proposed plan of National Health Records being computerized within 5 years? What would this mean for MTs. CNN says it would require thousands of highly skilled Medical Records experts to get it on board. Any comments? Is this a good sign for those of us in the Health Documentation career field. And could it mean tighter control of records going off shore?

Fun? Working on patient medical records and
drinking. Ah, to have your ISP addy would be PRICELESS.

Website for patient choice of where records go

I came up with an idea that I'd like to try and would like your opinions and input. I would like to make a public website listing all the facilities across the U.S. that I can and which ones send records offshore or are affiliated with companies that offshore versus which ones do not. I will need your help.

I personally specifically ask this question (where our records go) when my family or myself see a physician or go to a medical facility and explicitly tell them that I demand our family's records not be sent offshore. Companies that offer both American and offshore are also unacceptable to me, as a patient, because I do not trust them with my records. The medical facilities do comply and prove to me that they have complied when they realize I will change physicians or hospitals if they do not. As a result, they make a point to keep ours inhouse or provide me with the name of the company they use with contact person that does not offshore at all (usually small local MT companies who employ local people).

I'd like to create a public database website for the American consumer to access, with listings of hospitals and physicians nationwide and where their records may be sent, to make the patient public aware that they have a choice regarding their own confidential information.

We The People . . .

I am contacting an attorney today to make sure that informing American patients of the truth is legal. Ironic that I must do that.

Didn't California pass a law that their health records
nm

Health information personnel, medical records, clerical..sigh...nm
s

The gov. doesn't care one jot about secure records!
.

Medical Transcription In The Era Of Electronic Medical Records
EMR has revolutionized the healthcare industry in recent times. Many experts felt that EMR & Voice Recognition would totally replace Medical Transcription - however; the industry soon realized that transcription has certain advantages over point & click charting and many physicians preferred to dictate notes rather than document the data at the point of care themselves.

Probably something in patient care, maybe CNA. sm
They make about as much as I am making and with benefits on top of that at the hospitals around here.

MT in addition to other health care job?

I know that there are MTs out there that are MTs along with another HC job, but have never heard anything specific.

I am about to start MT school but in about 2-3 years the opportunity for me to go to school to become an RRT will present itself (it might not again for another 5 yrs past that point). It (being an RRT) is something I have wanted to do for a while, but only as PRN or part time work because of the shifts, the ages of my kids and my dh's work schedule (out of town a lot and weird hours). Because of that, I figure I could work as an IC (obviously 20hrs/wk or less) during RRT school and nights and weekends when I am not at my RRT job. We move every couple of years and IC work (for a national at home) could also serve as a steady income source while I find another RRT position (which could conceivably take a while considering my limitations regarding work hours outside my home).

Since I obviously do neither job right now, I don't know how realistic my expectations of this are. Does anyone juggle these two jobs? I know its most likely nurses that do this, but I welcome anyone's comments.

I definitely plan on going to MT school, because its available now, the work will be there, and being an MT is an excellent fit for me. Just trying to plan ahead - I know dh will want to know if I am giving up plans to go to RRT school because of this.

Thanks.

Socialized health care
http://www.liberty-page.com/issues/healthcare/socialized.html#britain

Here are some stats you might find interesting

Canadian Health Care
A 6-8 week wait time to see a gynecologist? Is that good or bad for the US. I personally have been waiting to see an endocrinologist for 1 year, 3 months...still nothing. Seriously. The wait time for any type of procedure of specialty is actually quite scary. Sometimes it feels as though we are in Russia, we just happen to pay more taxes. We "pay" for our health care with 13% tax on absolutely everything you buy. That is supposedly for health care, but it really doesn't seem to help. I personally believe the problem is in the fact there are not enough doctors. When you compare how many doctors there are in each specialty to the amount of patients that require them, that is where the wait time comes into play. Ironically, Canada is starting to implement "pay as you go" clinics for procedures because the wait time is so ridiculous. It seems that Canada is adopting the US's health system and the US is looking to adopt Canada's system. That reminds me of something...the grass is always greener on the other side (nope, same grass, different place). Take care all.

Do you think patient care will suffer any?
will treat the laptop like it is you, and ignore you, the patient.

I think the average patient would care and
would think, 'Wow, they sure don't know English.' And what about all the abbreviations a lay person woudl certainly not understand.

Whether you like it or not, your private health care is distributed to others
Everytime you are diagnosed, have a test, go to the doctor, everytime you are billed, your information goes into a data base that all health care providers (insurance companies) have access to. I don't get the big deal over this all of a sudden. So someone in India finds out you are treated for a wart or depression. So what? What difference does it make as far as privacy goes if India MT knows this or Kansas MT knows this?

I will take canada's health care in a nanosecond
Well, I gotta tell ya, I would love to have Canada's health care, as I dont have health care..You see, if you are an SE, MQ does not offer health care. So, universal health care through the govt, IMHO, is better than paying out of my pocket.

Anyone have info on K Force Health care? nm
nm

This is an example of our mangled health care system.
So my husband smacks his elbow on something at work at the end of the day and as he is driving home notices his elbow is swelling up huge. He goes to the doctor and they say they can't do anything without his employer's consent to workers' comp and send him home without even an ice pack. The next day he goes to work and his boss gives him $100 to say it was done at home and to go get it fixed. I have taken a picture of his elbow and sent him to the doctor. He had already told them it was done at work when he went in yesterday anyway, so he is going to tell his boss that and give the $100 back. Amazing.

Aurora Health Care wiscionsin also.
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There needs to be a way to provide universal health care BUT sm
I don't believe that a national system is the right answer. If you look to Hawaii which has a law for universal coverage, it works pretty well.

We have had CHiPS which is the child health plan. I know something about that and had it for my own grown kids when it very first started. You get that if you don't qualify for Medicaid, and if your employer doesn't provide or if the premium of what is provided through employment is more than a given percentage of income.

This issue is one that I feel is best handled by the states, not by the feds. All you have to do is look at the No Child Left Behind to see how well that kind of thing works. States know what their demographics look like. They know what sector of the population is without health insurance and they know what funds they provide to various indigent programs to provide for the poor. It is the lower middle class woman and the lower middle class child who is most likely to be uninsured because they make too much for Medicaid and too little for any type of private insurance and most employers in this bracket can't/won't offer anything.

If you look at Medicare, which is a mess actually, and CHiPS which functions better, they are about the same idea for two different sectors of the population. There are HMOs and plans that one chooses. They are all a bit different, but you all know how this works. The companies who insure people through these plans keep costs and premiums down in order to participate.

I am in favor of the federal government figuring out a capitation rate along the lines of Medicare or Medicaid and paying this to the states, but more broadly to cover more people. Then, the states can figure out what they can contribute. If they eliminate funding for indigent services to cover these people under a statewide plan, that can go into the kitty. Every person in every state WITHOUT employer provided insurance, will be required to contribute to the state plan in some way, based on income. Employees with company provided insurance can opt to participate in the state program. The idea is to recoup the money wasted on county, city and state indigent programs and put it to the greater good. With having not to cover unpaid medical bills because there aren't any, anymore, it should help to raise the amount that states and other agencies have to pay into the system. Insurance companies will have to bid lower to participate in this, because I think it is best that they are the ones who administrate, private sector always does better...

well now I am boring you, but I see what I mean! LOL

A husband to take care of the bills and the health
nm

Soon it will be the government, Universal Health Care, nm
xxx

where did you get the idea we were involved in patient care?
We are typists with a specialized vocabulary. If we were doing this for NASA, it would not make us rocket scientists.

I am neither advocating, nor participating in, low quality - I do the very best I can with the experience, knowledge, and tools that I have. The fact that employers do not want to pay me enough to survive, thus making my trips through *QA* a little more thorough, ensures that I will get through reports as absolutely expeditiously as possible.

My bottom line is MY survival. Good luck with altruism - it doesn't buy much at Safeway.

vent on failure in patient care

My husband took my son to see the doc for a tetanus shot after he stepped on a nail. I'm always transcribing and couldn't go there myself. After coming home from the doctor's office, my son and husband tell me that his foot was never even looked at by even a nurse, let alone the doctor. My son got the tetanus shot, and the paperwork said "do not give if a fever is present." Woops, they didn't even take his temperature. Rather than looking at his foot to determine if it was infected, they just asked my son if it was infected. I called the office totally irate, and they reduced the charges from $88 to $7. Wow, didn't expect that. It's a crying shame that we're a society so hung up on paperwork and billing (HIPAA, etc.) that a doctor or nurse would not even take the time to actually look at a patient's wound. What's really ironic is that very day I transcribed a report where the doctor states the patient shouldn't self-medicate with vitamins and supplements. So, we're not smart enough to determine what vitamins and supplements to take, but we are expected to determine whether or not we have an infection?

OR, instead of being funny, it could hurt patient care.
nm

A 2-day strike will not hurt patient care
it will give the physicians something to think about when they have to hand write their STAT H&P for patient's surgery tomorrow.

just like quality care for the patient is going out the window-nm
nm

Anything an MT can do when you have grave concerns about patient care?

Is there anything at all an MT can do when you have grave concerns about the care a patient is receiving? I know the answer to this is probably no, but I am so completely frustrated with my one of "my" doctors right now. I know that one of his patients is not receiving the proper care, and I am really worried for this patient. I wish I could contact the patient's mother and let her know my concerns, but I know that is not allowed and I would be fired for doing so. I know that I'm not anywhere near as smart as a doctor, but my son has the same condition that this patient does and I know that the patient is not receiving the proper care or even the correct diagnosis. It is hard to go into all of the details for confidentiality reasons. I just know, 100% sure, that this patient deserves better care than he is receiving.

Sometimes the virtual world that we work in is great, and other times it really stinks. If I were working in the doctor's office I could gently share my concerns (maybe I would still be fired but I could give it a shot). Here in this virtual world where the doctors don't even know I exist I can do absolutely nothing.

I'm just so frustrated at the doctor and so very worried for this patient.

United Health Care medical insurance

Well, I am about to use my vision coverage insurance for United Health Care. Eye Exam 2000 said they only covered 15-20% of the exam, 20% of cost of lens/glasses. I have never heard of such a low amount covered. I guess I have the wrong plan. Anyone else disappointed with United Health Care benefits besides me? I work for a large national.

Thanks. I guess I am hoping someone will tell me I am wrong and that 80% of the bill is covered. That this is all a mistake.

Signed,

Squinting

you can't insure your body, just paying for health care for it.
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off shoring tests for health care professionals

Below is an ad I found were they are offshoring the devlopement of questions now this is scary Title: Healthcare Exam Question Writing

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The client is based in the United States that is providing training and education to health care professionals.
The client is looking to outsource the process to outsource agents who can write exam questions from the source material (source material can come from journal articles, books, etc.)
1. The client will provide the source material either by email or by providing the web address.
2. The outsource agent will write multiple choice questions from the source material provided. Each question will only have 4 possible answers, with only one answer being correct.
3. The client will designate the number of questions required per course.
4. The outsource agent will format the questions in a format that will be provided.
5. The outsource agent will email the questions to the client for review and editing.
6. The client will email the edited questions back to the outsource agent.
7. The outsource agent will upload the edited questions to the client website.

The client will pay one dollar US ($1) for each question written.

We believe that for a typical set of question will require 15 questions and will most likely take about 3 hours to complete. This equals about $5 US per hour. We anticipate rejecting some of the questions that are developed, though the client will consider paying for the development. The client will work with the selected agents in the future to assist with question development.

No Project Files

IL Health Care Worker Background Check Act

Type "225 ILCS 46/" in your search engine. It should give you the Health Care Worker Background Check Act for Illinois. There are several proposed amendments regarding non-fingerprint-based ID before the legislature for the 2007-2008 session. I hope this is what you seek.

OOps meant best health care in the world
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