Security Issues of the Electronic Ehr and Issues with Converting to an Ehr
Security Issues of the Electronic EHR and
Issues with Converting to an EHR
Gary Driscoll
HI150-01
UNIT 9 Assignment
Kaplan University
19 October 2011
The digital age is replacing the standard practices at a record breaking pace. With that increase, the need to digitize new medical records and convert existing records is becoming an issue at the top of most organizations “To Do List”. It is important for the organization to realize that both storage practices have the same risks: inappropriate access, record tampering, storage costs, and accessibility. In addition to that, the paper medical record needs to realize and identify the risks of chart legibility, while the Electronic Health Record (EHR) needs to capture that not all computer systems can talk to each other and extensive planning and testing may be required. Once an organization does commit to the EHR migration, it has several obstacles to anticipate, plan and resolve to make the system effective moving forward.
When it comes to record storage, both paper medical records and EHR’s must be diligent in preventing inappropriate access. While the concern exists for both platforms, the security risks are totally different. Some concerns of the paper medical record include: un-authorized staff accessing patient medical records to view and/or copy and the risk of records being stolen or destroyed. With these concerns, larger facilities can isolate the staff’s level of access to the Health Information Services (aka Medical Records) department access. The EHR has other problems to defend against. With the growing movement of digital information comes the increase risk of hackers trying to steal or damage patient information. As far as access from employees, the EHR can be monitored and tracked to see who accesses a chart, this will other prevent unauthorized staff from accessing charts. If the staff member does have access to patient
Issues with Converting to an EHR
Gary Driscoll
HI150-01
UNIT 9 Assignment
Kaplan University
19 October 2011
The digital age is replacing the standard practices at a record breaking pace. With that increase, the need to digitize new medical records and convert existing records is becoming an issue at the top of most organizations “To Do List”. It is important for the organization to realize that both storage practices have the same risks: inappropriate access, record tampering, storage costs, and accessibility. In addition to that, the paper medical record needs to realize and identify the risks of chart legibility, while the Electronic Health Record (EHR) needs to capture that not all computer systems can talk to each other and extensive planning and testing may be required. Once an organization does commit to the EHR migration, it has several obstacles to anticipate, plan and resolve to make the system effective moving forward.
When it comes to record storage, both paper medical records and EHR’s must be diligent in preventing inappropriate access. While the concern exists for both platforms, the security risks are totally different. Some concerns of the paper medical record include: un-authorized staff accessing patient medical records to view and/or copy and the risk of records being stolen or destroyed. With these concerns, larger facilities can isolate the staff’s level of access to the Health Information Services (aka Medical Records) department access. The EHR has other problems to defend against. With the growing movement of digital information comes the increase risk of hackers trying to steal or damage patient information. As far as access from employees, the EHR can be monitored and tracked to see who accesses a chart, this will other prevent unauthorized staff from accessing charts. If the staff member does have access to patient
References: 1 Federal Register /Vol. 74, No. 209 / Friday, October 30, 2009 /Rules and Regulations, page 6. Retrieved from: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-26203.pdf 2 Bell, B., & Thornton, K. (2011). from promise to reality achieving the value of an EHR. (cover story). hfm (Healthcare Financial Management), 65(2), 50-56. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.Persistent link to this record (Permalink): http://search.ebscohost.com.lib.kaplan.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=58651790&site=ehost-live 3 Stone, A. (2011). Government Incentives Will Help With Electronic Health Record Implementation. ONS Connect, 26(4), 26. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.Persistent link to this record (Permalink): http://search.ebscohost.com.lib.kaplan.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=62508585&site=ehost-live