> Survey of Hospitals Suggests Patient Data at Risk Due to Inconsistent Data Management Practices -WSJ.com


The change over to an electronic record as a means to save money was simply a payoff to certain vendors who saw a way to milk the political system for campaign paybacks. The hospitals and the Doctor’s practices are not on the same systems so communication is poor.

On a recheck at my cardiologist, they asked if my family doctor has checked out the high thyroid readings I had on my last cardio check.  The family doctor never saw that report because it was sent electronically. There is no interface built into the programs. So we are back to the patient needing to understand their own records and hand carry them. Does that sound like efficient communication.

I have kids in the health field and they say they are working incredible hours because so many people are coming in for what they view as free healthcare. Then all sorts of work develops when it is found that they never really made the connection for their healthcare.  Medical people cannot work 5:30 AM to 11:00 PM over and over again and be functional.

But the JCAHO who is to monitor this cannot fix one problem when every health organization is experiencing the same conditions.

Electronic records have tremendously higher error rates (Bit Error Rates) and electronic records, in the way hospitals are storing records, is 10 times more costly that the older archive systems.  PACS image storage and communication are overwhelmed. No one built in the tracking systems for Health Organizations so I have had to have the same imaging done twice because the first copy just disappeared in the mist.

If JCAHO were to enforce the maximum hours requirements the hospitals would be shutting down.  The rapid conversion to Physician Assistants, Anesthesiologist Assistants and Pain Management Assistants while simultaneously the nurses and others who have contracts refuse to work longer hours. This means you have the lowest possible training at the patient interface.

No one is talking about this because of fear of HIPAA violations but this will be a field day for malpractice attorneys because the system now is designed to be pushed to the breaking point.  

Where are the health organization records managers talking about solutions? Adopting electronic records at a normal pace might have worked out over time but throwing that requirement on top of a massive change in the accounting problems hospitals have in ensuring the patient even has health care is a massive records management problem.

I wonder what percent of hospitals even have records managers?

 
Hugh Smith 
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