Electronic Medical Records - The Pros and Cons

In this digital age, more and more bulks of information which used to be paper-based, from library catalogs to telephone books, are digitized and stored in a central location for easy access. The idea of EMRs started about 40 years ago.

The main proponents of EMRs cite the following advantages:

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(1) The use of EHRs supposedly reduces errors in medical records. There is no doubt that handwritten records are subject to lots of human errors due to misspelling, illegibility, and differing terminologies. With the use of EMRs standardization of patient health records may eventually become acheivable.

Electronic Medical Records - The Pros and Cons

(2) Paper records can be easily lost. We have heard how fires, floods and other natural catastrophes destroy physical records of many years, data which are lost forever. Digital records can be stored virtually forever and can be kept long after the physical records are gone. EMRs also help keep records of health information that patients tend to forget with time, i.e. inoculations, previous illnesses and medications.

(3) EMRs make health care cost-efficient by consolidating all data in one place. Previously, paper-based records are located in different places and getting access to all of them takes a lot of time and money. In a systematic review, Kripalani et al. evaluated the communication transfer between primary care physicians and hospital-based physicians and found significant deficits in medical information exchange. The review recommended the use of EMRs to resolve these issues and facilitate the continuity of care before, during and after hospitalization. EMRs translates into better treatment for patients. Take the example of one asthma center's experience with EMR: "A major benefit associated with EMR implementation was the increase in the number of children who were hospitalized with an asthma exacerbation and received an asthma action plan upon discharge. Prior to the EMR system, [only] 4% received an asthma action plan upon discharge. After implementation of the EMR system, 58% received an asthma action plan upon discharge."

(4) EMRs can save lives. VeriChip, developed by VeriChip Corporation is the first one of its kind ever approved by the US FDA. It enables rapid identification of at-risk patients and access to their medical history, thereby enabling rapid diagnosis and treatment especially in emergency situations. Classic examples are people with diabetes and/or heart problems who have high risk of collapsing and having attacks. VeriChip is also useful in vehicular accidents and other trauma incidents where the victims aren't capable of answering questions. In cases of large-scale catastrophes, VeriChip facilitates tracking and identification of victims. According to a coroner in Mississippi, VeriChip helped identify victims during the Hurricane Katrina incident.

Earlier this year, Google Health was launched, an online personalized health records service. Google Health is based on the principle that since it's the patient's medical record, the patient should control it, decide what should be in it, and who gets access to it. One of the features of the service includes records from hospitals and pharmacies that are Google Health-enabled or are registered Google Health partners.

The HealthVault is another online health information storage service offered by Microsoft with features similar to Google Health. Keith Toussaint, senior program manager with Microsoft HealthVault recently stated " leading hospitals like Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center are actually integrating their systems with both us and Google -- because some people like one or the other. It's a Coke or Pepsi thing."

What are the disadvantages of EMRs? Not surprisingly, privacy rights advocacy groups are the main opponent of EMRs. Here is what they have to say:

(1) EMRs threaten our privacy. In this day and age when people's mantra is "I need my privacy", not many people are comfortable about having their entire medical history recorded and digitized for almost just anybody to see - in other words, incursion into people's privacy. The confidentiality of doctor - patient relationship is still sacrosanct. Besides, medical data can be used against a person in some cases - be it for a job application, insurance coverage or a college scholarship. Although it is against the law to discriminate against people with illnesses and disabilities, it is a fact of life that the fitter you are, the more competitive you are in the job market. The planned incorporation of genetic data in EMRs further adds to people's fear of incursion into their private sphere.

(2) EMRs can lead to loss of the human touch in health care. In the process of digitalization, the interpersonal aspect in health care may be lost. In handwritten hospital charts, doctors and other health care practitioners may write what they think and they feel based on their personal observations in their very own words. EMR is simply about ticking off boxes and crossing out things in electronic forms. The doctors are forced to think in categories and can seldom express a personal opinion on an individual case. Because of the lack of flexibility of many electronic reporting systems, cases of misclassification of patients and their conditions have been reported.

(3) EMRs are not that efficient. Despite efforts in digitalization and standardization, EMRs are actually far from being standardized and not as efficient as it is purported to be. It often happens that one clinic's EMR system is not compatible with that of a general practitioner or another clinic's system, thus belying the claim of added efficiency. In addition, not all users of EMRs are satisfied with the current state of the art. Although the objective is mainly efficiency and healthcare quality, one study showed that nurses in the Netherlands are not completely satisfied with their EMR implemented in 2006-2007.

(4) EMRs are not safe and secure. Google Health and HealthVault are quick in assuring patients of the safety of their online health accounts. Access to the patient's account is only possible using log ins and password. In addition, HealthVault assures that "all health information transmitted between HealthVault servers and program providers' systems is encrypted" and that Microsoft does it best to use the "highest standards of security to safeguard consumer health information from theft, loss, or damage."

However, there are cases wherein passwords and encryptions do not seem to be adequate as data protection tools. Stories of data hacking, stolen identities and blackmail abound. Even high security databases such as those run by banks and credit institutions are often compromised. This impression was aggravated by the many well-publicized incidences of data loss or breach. A few examples are listed below:

November 26, 2007, Canada. Hackers accessed medical information on HIV and hepatitis from a Canadian health agency computer. - September 22, 2008, UK. The National Health Service (NHS) reported the loss of 4 CDs in the mail containing information on 17,990 employees. - September 30, 2008, US. The company Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana confirmed breach of personal data, including Social Security numbers, phone numbers and addresses of about 1,700 brokers. The data was accidentally attached to a general email.

In addition, there is criticism over Google Health not being a "covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and the regulations promulgated thereunder (HIPAA)" under its terms and conditions and is therefore not subject to HIPAA privacy of individually identifiable health information. The HealthVault terms and conditions do not mention HIPAA privacy laws so it is not clear what its status is regarding this issue.

(5) VeriChip is not for humans. It is to be expected that although many of us are amenable to the use of RFID chips in pets, the idea of implanting similar chips in human beings is bound to raise hackles in humans, no matter what the US FDA says. A big opponent of the VeriChip and similar chips of its kind is the consumer advocacy group Spychip.com. In a position paper, Spychip and many advocacy and consumer awareness groups see RFID tagging (be it on your person or on the items you buy) as a major threat to privacy and civil liberties. They see the tagging as some kind of "Big Brother" operation. Another group, the No VeriChip Inside Movement, likens VeriChip as "cataloguing" humans similar to the way the Nazis have tattooed numbers on the skin of concentration camp detainees. Popular Hollywood films on privacy incursions (e.g. The Net, Public Enemy No. 1) increased further people's paranoia about personal data.

Where do we go from here? Without doubt, we have the technology to make EMRs standardized and efficient. Google Health, Microsoft HealthVault and similar online personalized health information accounts are enabling patients to take control of their medical records. The main issues that need to be overcome are data security, protection of privacy and gaining the confidence of the patients. It doesn't seem evident that the use of RFID and similar tagging chips will become acceptable or popular anytime soon. However, we live in a digital world and we cannot hold back progress indefinitely. With improved technology and data protection tools, let us hope the EMR issue will be resolved soon.

Electronic Medical Records - The Pros and Cons

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Personal Medical Journal - Take Notes to Capture the Highlights of Medical Appointments

Do as I say, not as I do

A personal medical journal is the perfect tool to bring with you to a medical appointment. With it, you can document all of the important information covered by your medical team. It works really well, if you remember to bring it with you.

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Some time ago, I was in to see my dermatologist. The exam was going very well until she noticed a suspicious area on my back. I was told that the lesion should be removed and biopsied. As soon as she said the word biopsy, my mind went blank. The exam ended, I felt numb and then I left the office; without taking a single note.

Clearly I failed to follow the advice I give in all of my seminars, "Take notes!" Later in the day, once I "regrouped", I called the doctor's office to ask all of the questions I should have asked during the exam. Oops!

It may also be helpful to:

1. Bring a friend or family member with you to help you remember exactly what the doctor said during the examination. It has been found that patients typically forget about one half of what their physician tells them during their visit.

2. Tape record the visit with your doctor and review it later. As a courtesy, be sure to ask your physician if this is okay.

Summarize the Visit

Before you leave the exam, be sure to ask your doctor to summarize the visit. It has been found that when patients and doctors take just 5 minutes to review major points and resolve questions, patients remember more and are more satisfied with the visit. You can then list this information in your personal medical journal. Remember "the palest ink is better than the most retentive memory"- Old Chinese Proverb.

Personal Medical Journal - Take Notes to Capture the Highlights of Medical Appointments

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What is the Work of a Medical Assistant?

Medical assistant jobs are among the multi-skilled professionals who can work with other medical professionals. Medical assistants are trained professionals who can perform both administrative and clinical tasks given to them. Most of the time, these people are working under the supervision of a physician in a certain hospital. This is a kind of job which has various and unique duties. Usually, the work of a medical assistant greatly differs according to the size and location of the office that he or she is working with. If you are working in just a small barrio, then probably, you are just working like a secretarial duty, being a nursing aid and any works that induce laboratory works. You can also work into large offices; however, you will also change the duty that you are working in a certain area.

Some of these people can do patient and even laboratory work exclusively, while others are also working for medical records, bookkeeping and even in answering a phone call. Most of the time, medical assistants in small offices can handle all these tasks being mentioned. However, they usually work on private offices wherein clinical duties are among their jobs to do. Some of them are going to help the doctors in examining a certain patient, while others will also help in treating sick and ill patients in a certain hospital. They are also the ones responsible in writing down the patients' medical histories and even making a simple laboratory tests.

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They will also answer the patients question sometimes about the prescribed medicines and treatment that they should do at home. Aside from these works, assistant is also the ones who give injections, apply bandages, and even take X-rays to some of the patients. Thus, if we are going to consider all these duties, we can definitely say that being a Medical Assistant is not only a matter of being an assistant, however, you are being considered as a well-trained professional, and an expert also in the field of medicine. If you do not have the knowledge and the various trainings, for sure you cannot handle all the tasks that an assistant should do. Sometimes, assistants are also in charge of buying and in the maintenance of medical equipments inside the doctors' office. They can even act as the office managers, since they are also organizing the office of the doctor.

They are responsible in planning the doctor's busy schedule, greeting the patients, filing records and correspondence, and also typing letters and bills. They will also handle the insurance forms, handle tax records and even the medical records of the patients. If the doctor will going to request them to do laboratory tests upon the patient's admission, they will also need to do the task. However, if you are working in a large hospital clinic as a medical assistant, all these tasks are also being subdivided according to how many assistant are assigned. Just keep pace with the minimum requirements in order to become a medical assistant, and grab the job right away in any private or public medical clinic.

What is the Work of a Medical Assistant?

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How to Work From Home Doing Medical Billing and Coding!

If you're thinking about doing medical billing and coding and working from home there are a few things you want to know. First of all do you have the ability or skills or training in order to be able to process claims for doctors, dentists or large clinics.

To process claims at home you'll either have to be in business for yourself or make some arrangement with your employers to work at home. The employer in this case would be the doctor, dentist or other health professional or clinic that needs medical billing service. This may be difficult to do if you haven't had the proper training and don't have the right medical billing software.

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Many people who do work from home doing medical billing and/or coding generally have their own business. They have started home businesses after getting the right training. (Coding requires separate training and certification may be required by some employers.)

It would probably be difficult to get on-the-job training and more than likely you'll have to get training through online courses, programs or schools or on campus locally where you live. There is a national exam for certification as a Medical Billing Specialist that would probably be required by most companies seeking your service. Plus after you get some training you'll want on-the-job experience so you can learn the ropes. You want to know what you're doing before you work alone at home.

So one of the things you can do is call some of the clinics in your area and find out whether they do their medical billing and coding in-house or whether they send it out to a billing service. If they do it in-house, ask if they hire people to do additional billing for them at home either by contracting out to you or hiring you to work at home and they would act as employer. There may be a lot of variation in practices in different geographical areas. So best to call and see what you can find out.

So now you may know a little bit more about whether you want to work from home doing medical billing and coding. When you do decide that you do need some training, there is federal government money available for online courses as well as on-campus. So you want to check out medical billing training online and local colleges. Be careful of any scams that may be operating. Read the fine print and don't sign up for any courses you don't need.

How to Work From Home Doing Medical Billing and Coding!

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Medical Assistant Duties

What comprises medical assistant duties? Are you hiring or are you someone who wants to go into medical assisting? It is not really hard to imagine what to put into a medical assistant job description. Duties will vary depending on what area the medical assistant is working in.

Medical assistant duties range from welcoming patients to doctor's practices to giving injections and even to some filing of documentation.

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In a dental practice a medical assistant will prepare instruments needed for treatment like sterilizing and aid the dentist in the procedures. They also organize all client documentation and fix appointments.

In a pediatric practice they may give injections and do filing and handle the administrative duties. In other setting assistants may help doctors to make research on cases, and in big hospitals assistants handle most of the documentation.

Other assistants will be confined to the lab to make investigation that will help doctors to diagnose patients accurately. They work with samples like blood and tissue and test them to find what ails the patients. This can be dangerous so one has to be extremely careful not to get contaminated by these samples and to follow all safety procedures received in training.

If you are not really excited about working in the hospital environment or around ill people, you can opt to be a medical transcriptionist that you can do online in the comfort of your home. A transcriptionist types out a doctor's notes or instructions from an audio source so they can form part of the patient record.

An ophthalmologist assistant helps with the taking of eye tests, instruct patients on contact lenses use and care and can also make dressings and give medications. They also take care of the equipment.

Medical assistants also help doctors to make research on diseases to make complex diagnoses. They can do library searches and also online research. They help doctors collect samples for investigation like draw blood and other samples.

Medical assistants ensure the smooth running of doctors' offices making sure patient information is filed away accurately, fix appointments, make sure all needed equipment are clean and in working order and that the offices are in a condition to receive patients. They can also give medications and advise patients on how to make them.

It is up to you to choose what you like to do best. Get some training and get certified by the American Association of Medical Assistants ; in this way you can get the best job around. There is a chance to advance to other positions in the medical field. Louis Zhang, Certifiedmedicalassistanttraining dot com.

Medical Assistant Duties

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Urgent Care Medical Center - An Overview

An immediate care center manages minor afflictions and injuries in a health care center. It usually offers after-hours and walk-in medical care, no scheduled visit needed, outside of a hospital-based emergency room (ER). Ugent care medical centers are normally open after-hours, and give the same services as a family or primary health care provider. Most urgent care facilities provide you with the following: general health care, occupational medicine, x-ray's, lab's, vaccines, school and sports physicals and limited on-site prescription medications.

General Medical Treatment. General medical care comprises physical checkups, routine gynecologic care and/or birth control care, infant check-ups, medical monitoring of serious types of conditions and follow-up for minor illnesses or personal injuries. A large percentage of immediate care centers provide people with extensive urgent-medical care for many kinds of of medical needs, prioritizing and streamlining treatments to serve all patients. The rapid triage program specifies individual's needs to expedite urgent care correctly.

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Occupational Medicine. Occupational Medicine is the branch of clinical medicine most involved in the field of Occupational Health. Its principal purpose is the provision of health advice to enterprises and patients to ensure that the highest Health and Safety at Work standards can be achieved and looked after. Occupational Doctors should have an extensive knowledge of clinical medicine and be competent in many vital areas. Urgent care medical centers continually focus on the promotion and upkeep of the highest degree of physical, psychological and social health of personnel in all types of occupations.

X-rays, Laboratory and Vaccines. The majority of urgent care clinics have X-rays, labs, and medicinal drug dispensaries so you can receive complete care at one place.

School and Sports Physical Exams. Required school and sports physicals can be gotten at primary or immediate care treatment centers. In the sports medicine field, the sports physical examination is referred to as a pre-participation physical examination. The examination will help determine whether it is safe for you to get involved in a particular sport activity. Most states demand that kids and adolescents have a sports physical before starting up a new sport or commence a new competitive season.

On-site Prescriptions. Immediate medical care could possibly prescribe medication to be able to achieve relief. The majority of urgent care clinics even have direct contact to a nearby pharmacy which they can call so you do not need to personally go there and stand in long line. Your prescription medication can be instantly brought to you.

Make sure you bear in mind that your first option for medical care is not usually the immediate department. Your primary care provider ought to be the first person to check with, unless it is a critical medical emergency. Your primary physician has the relationship and health records that serve you better when there's a need for a non-urgent care. You may also call house call doctors if you ever are in need of medical attention.

Urgent Care Medical Center - An Overview

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Medical Transport Company Index

When it comes to creating a non-emergency medical transportation business, it is important to choose an appropriate name. Many business owners overlook the importance that a name can play in developing a brand. The right name can help make a good first impression on the people in your market and can help build long term relationships and reputation.

Do not make the mistake and to make this important decision until the last minute, like other entrepreneurs. Togethersome thought coming with a big name, Ambulette companies will also serve to develop and grow over the years.

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Here is a list of points that you consider how you can go about the process of naming your non-emergency medical transportation (business NEMT).

Relevance and professionalism

A great name should be relevant to what your company does. Instead of something obscure that people can imagine, you can also use the words "doctor"and "transport" in the title. In this way immediately communicate to people exactly what you do.

You could also, in other words, that a broader definition of your services. It can be a good idea to avoid too specific, however, how you can change the business model across the board and offer a different part of the market.

They look like the qualities that people in a medical transportation industry will of course professionalism and reliability. Your name shouldconvey confidence in people and let them know that actually have a reliable operation that is necessary for the operation of a safe and reliable service Ambulette. For this reason, many small business owners use their own name or as part of their name.

Be unique, original and memorable

While the "transport" is almost unique in the industry, can be combined with other words, to something new and original, to compile. Take a look at whatother local non-emergency medical transportation companies have made with their names and make sure the name clearly differentiates your business from them.

A great name should be memorable. In addition to the people a good first impression, it should be fairly easy and catchy enough that it is long term in their minds. Create a list of names and then run some of your friends and colleagues to find out what a positive influence on them. Ask themabout the name again after a few days and see what I can remember.

Legal

It 'also important to consider legal issues when it comes to think of a name. You must make sure that the name not already in use by other companies in the sector. Perform a name for the database, looking into your personal business center and do a thorough check online to make sure that the selection will not make youMeeting legal issues down the road.

Practical and functional

A good choice for the names are usually short and practical. A short name is more memorable and more practical when it comes to use on business cards or use them to answer the phone. Not with words, to spell or pronounce difficult to be confusion.

You can even have a name that works well as an acronym. For example, "Sacramento Transportation Services" STS are requiredshort.

Note that you want to get a website created at a certain time. Before finalizing your choice and record a name for your business you should also take all the domain names in question.

Brainstorming ideas

To help with some ideas as put together a great list of relevant words. These words may, at your location, your industry, your market or service that will be obtained. You could also go with words in terms of reliability andCordiality that describe your service. Emotional-sounding words can also have a strong influence.

And your thoughts, you can also ask other people for their opinion. Look at some of the names that other ambulance companies throughout the world use for ideas. The names used by companies in the transportation and medical industries can also inspiration.

Some entrepreneurs even in branding or marketing consultants to help them come tocorrect name and brand image, before entering into business. It might be a good idea to seek professional help if you really feel that you are not up to this important task.

A name to be proud of

Perhaps more importantly, the owner of the business, to love the name. You ideally need a name that feels proud to be associated link. The right choice should inspire, help you to focus on business development, and make you want to work hard to grow your brand.

OnceHave you started your business is not easy to modify and make changes to your name. If so then you will encounter many costs associated with changes in paperwork and printing promotional material. Change your business is one of the best ways to confuse and isolate your customers, if the process is handled with care.

For these reasons, it is imperative that you make sure you have a great name for your non-urgent medical transport is justbeginning. Give this important decision, the time and attention it deserves.

Medical Transport Company Index

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