Hipaa And The Nurse Anesthesthesia Environment - 1621 Words

HIPAA and the Nurse Anesthesthesia Environment Matthew S. Cole University of New England Protecting Patient Health Information in a Digital Era We live in a digital age where everything from photos to important documents is saved or stored online. This includes the use of electronic medical records. The electronic medical record (EMR) is useful in assisting physicians to have a complete and thorough health history of the patient. The EMR serves as a continuity of care from one hospital to another within the same organization (Hsieh, 2014). Consulting physicians also have quick access to recent diagnostic imaging, progress notes, and lab results. EMRs can help manage patients with chronic disease states, aid in data collection for use in research, and prevent adverse drug events (Hsieh, 2014). As useful as the EMR is to patient care there exist a few drawbacks when records are transformed from paper into the digital form. Even though patient health records can only be accessed from inside the hospital’s computers, the EMR can be accessed from anywhere inside the hospital or from another hospital or clinic within the same organization. Before the implementation of the EMR, healthcare staff had to go directly to the patient s physical chart and thumb through pages of information. Now, with the EMR, any hospital employee can access any patient s information anywhere inside the hospital. EMRs are more easily accessible, even to personnel not involved in the