The top finding in Joint Commission surveys for the first half of 2013 should be no surprise for HIM professionals. For the last three years, RC.01.01.01 has been No. 1 on the top 10 list of most frequently cited standards in Joint Commission surveys. The good news is that RC.01.01.01 is the only standard from the Record of Care, Treatment and Services (RC) chapter to make the list. The bad news is that this standard and some of its EPs will most likely continue to be a challenge.
For many people, the new year brings the promise of a fresh start, which is one of the reasons why we often make New Year's resolutions. These resolutions date back to ancient Babylonian times, when people would make resolutions to gods during the vernal equinox. But for HIM professionals, a New Year's resolution often means establishing and abiding by organizational timelines, training your workforce, and updating technology.
Imagine a hospital as a sentient being that holds within it all things necessary to heal you from illness or injury. The HIM department, or medical records department, is this being's memory. Without it, there would be no continuum of patient care. Sometimes, it's the hospital's memory that serves to produce an otherwise overlooked diagnosis.
It's a brave new world out there for business associates (BA). BAs needed to comply with the HIPAA Security Rule and the use and disclosure provisions of the Privacy Rule in February 2010 as a result of the HITECH Act. However, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) held off on any enforcement activities-that is, until recently.
The July 2013 MRB article I wrote discussed the importance of competency and skills testing in the workplace relative to new and evolving roles in the HIM department. In this issue, we discuss "not knowing what you don't know." In other words, there is a significant knowledge gap about the importance of EDMS in EHRs.
