How Data Validation Will Make Your Life Easier

As a clinician, you want to know if data being entered into the system is accurate, clean, correct and useful. Data validation often called “validation rules” or “check routines” are built into systems such as EHR systems. These rules check for correctness, meaningfulness, and security of data. For example, the system would automatically disallow or question a user trying to enter eligibility results into the patient’s address field.

Vendors and Physicians Partners in Meaningful Use?

Preparedness for meaningful use reporting is dependent on the EHR vendor capabilities and the physician’s adoption of privacy and security rule updates. One isn’t more responsible than the other.

Word of the Day: Pay-for-Performance

The use of incentives to encourage and reinforce the delivery of evidence-based practices in the health care system transformation that promote better outcomes as efficiently as possible.

Word of the Day: Interoperability

The ability to exchange and use information (usually in a large heterogeneous network made up of several local area networks). Interoperable systems reflect the ability of software and hardware on multiple machines from multiple vendors to communicate.

Word of the Day: Electronic Media

Electronic storage media including memory devices in computers (hard drives) and any removable/transportable digital memory medium, such as magnetic tape or disk, optical disk, or digital memory card; or transmission media used to exchange information already in electronic storage media. Transmission media include the Internet (wide open), extranet (using Internet technology to link a business with information accessible only to collaborating parties), leased lines, dial-up lines, private networks, and the physical movement of removable/transportable electronic storage media. Written communications sent via facsimile (not from one computer to another) and verbal information exchanges are not considered electronic media.

Word of the Day: Data Authentication

The corroboration that data have not been altered or destroyed in an unauthorized manner.

What’s In Your Personal Health Record?

The 800-pound gorilla at the center of health information transformation is the patient. This sleeping giant is slowly emerging from hibernation, and watch out when it wakes up. Folded into the HITECH Act are provisions that require healthcare providers to provide patients with access to data, knowledge and tools.

Privacy and Security in Disasters or Emergencies

Families searching for loved ones in a presidential-declared disaster, whether a hurricane, tornado, earthquake or unnatural disasters, should not have to also overcome HIPAA privacy roadblocks. As our nation winds down mid-western tornado season and steps up Hurricane season, review the guidance issued by DHHS after hundreds of thousand of Hurricane Katrina and Rita displaced citizens tried to locate loved ones.

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