Editor's note: The following scenario is provided by Laurie A. Rinehart-Thompson, JD, RHIA, CHP, assistant professor of clinical allied medicine in the School of Allied Medical Professions at Ohio State University in Columbus. Present the scenario portion to your HIM staff to see how they would handle the issue.
Over the last six months, The Joint Commission's survey have continued to show a pattern in regard to findings related to the Record of Care and Treatment chapter of the Joint Commission accreditation manual. The challenging standards are outlined below, including tips for compliance.
It's September-time to hit the books again and get back to school. If you're an aspiring HIM professional, that means learning about medical record retention.
Summers can be wonderful, it's true. But they can also be a glowing reminder of what you don't have in your HIM department: a bountiful staff and endless resources.
If HIM professionals needed another reason to be concerned with protected health information (PHI) outside of paper records, a surgery center in Arizona provided one in April.
