Data regarding a patient’s statistics and treatments are sensitive information that needs to be stored in a secure environment. At the utmost, medical records indexing involves digitally compressing files for easy maintenance, storage and retrieval. Good indexing is structured so that the data can be retrieved quickly to aid in a patient’s treatment plan.
HIPAA
Detailed in HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, is the management of protected health information. The Act generated a standardized method for document management of hard copy and electronic information to produce time and cost savings. HIPAA sets guidelines for transactions, codes and security. Advances in electronic technology beyond HIPAA’s scope were also anticipated for by Congress. Many provisions regarding personal health information are accounted for in Federal privacy laws. All medical records are indexing attempts to conform to those standards.
Capture
Capturing informatics for digitization occurs through scanning, data entry and document conversion. To make the transfer smooth, uniformity in a method is important. Good indexing commits to systematization. Great indexers migrate patient information in the background to reduce errors. When exact code to code mapping is unavailable, using abstractors trained in the medical field becomes timely.
After the initial capture, remember a few points to practicality:
- Develop regular practices with incoming critical information
- Save staff time with training sessions on indexing profiles and codes
- Save space by maintaining electronic communications with other organizations
- Choose digitization and maintain the most updated chart all of the time
- Provide quality metrics and analytics through quality management
The transition for an office to convert to medical records indexing can be difficult, but the discomfort yields benefits in the adjustment. What works is project management over your electronic medical records indexing. A team that is available during the complete process of reforming your databases will ensure eventual seamless integration.
For more information on how medical records indexing can be used to help your office, talk to our staff at MDabstract. We also offer other trust products that can be of service to you.
