Question

1. How do EHRs assist in tracking disclosures?

2,What is an NPP? (notice of privacy practices

.Who must provide one to patients and how often?

Give several examples of items that are in an NPP

Answer 1

1. To understand the complexities of the emerging electronic health record system, it is helpful to know what the health information system has been, is now, and needs to become. The medical record, either paper-based or electronic, is a communication tool that supports clinical decision making, coordination of services, evaluation of the quality and efficacy of care, research, legal protection, education, and accreditation and regulatory processes. It is the business record of the health care system, documented in the normal course of its activities. The documentation must be authenticated and, if it is handwritten, the entries must be legible.

In addition to the importance of privacy, confidentiality, and security, the EHR system must address the integrity and availability of information.

Integrity. Integrity assures that the data is accurate and has not been changed. This is a broad term for an important concept in the electronic environment because data exchange between systems is becoming common in the health care industry. Data may be collected and used in many systems throughout an organization and across the continuum of care in ambulatory practices, hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and so forth. This data can be manipulated intentionally or unintentionally as it moves between and among systems.

Availability. If the system is hacked or becomes overloaded with requests, the information may become unusable. To ensure availability, electronic health record systems often have redundant components, known as fault-tolerance systems, so if one component fails or is experiencing problems the system will switch to a backup component.