Somewhere between the third urgent item on your to-do list, getting your budgets prepared, and responding to the latest auditor's requests lies the omnipresent responsibility of nurturing the validity of the medical record. HIM professionals have traditionally been the legal custodians of the record. (After all, who else is daring enough to testify in court on the accuracy of the EHR?) Have we also by default become the custodians of data integrity?
Case managers and social workers have an active role in helping patients and families make end-of-life decisions such as using palliative care and hospice.
Facilities that hold regular interdisciplinary care coordination rounds often say such meetings save time. However, the rounds can turn from time-savers to time-wasters if the matters discussed do not stay on topic or drag on.
Here's one trend industry observers say healthcare organizations can expect to see now and in the future: heightened patient awareness and concern about the security of their private medical data.
