Who are the Primary users of the Health Record for Delivering Healthcare Services?
Patients, clinicians, and other authorized individuals are the primary users of the health record to deliver healthcare services. Patients can access their health information to better manage their care.
Clinicians can use the information to provide treatment and make care decisions. Other qualified individuals can use the information for quality improvement and research purposes. Payers may also use health records to determine coverage and reimbursement.
What are the Benefits of Having a Health Record for Delivering Healthcare Services?
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Patients can benefit from accessing their health information to better manage their care, and clinicians can benefit from accessing patient health information to provide treatment and make care decisions.
Who Determines Who Can View and Access a Patient’s Health Record?
Authorized users with legitimate interests can access a patient’s health record, such as clinicians providing treatment, those requesting data for statistical purposes, or those researching an institutional review board (IRB) approved protocol. The patient’s authorization to view and access the information is granted based on their agreement with the reason for viewing or accessing.
What Constitutes “Legitimate Interests” That May Be Used as a Basis to View and Access a Patient’s Health Record?
“Legitimate interests” that may be used to view and access a patient’s health record generally include providing treatment, obtaining payment for services, conducting quality improvement activities, or conducting research. Legitimate interests must be specified in the authorization request and approved by the IRB.
What is an Institutional Review Board (IRB), and How Can it Determine Who has a legitimate Interest in Viewing and Accessing a Patient’s Health Record?
An institutional review board, or IRB, is an appointed body that oversees research projects involving human subjects. The board members include individuals from the community selected based on their knowledge and expertise in research, healthcare, and ethics.
The IRB can approve or reject requests to view and access a patient’s health record based on whether the request meets the criteria for a legitimate interest.
What is the Process for Requesting Authorization to View and Access a Patient’s Health Record?
The process for requesting authorization to view and access a patient’s health record should be made in writing. The request should include the following information:
The name of the individual(s) that will have access to the patient’s information;
The purpose for viewing or accessing the data;
If it is not already clear whether there are any financial interests involved and
The contact information for the individual making the request.
The request should be sent to the patient, who can authorize access. The request will be considered denied if the patient does not respond within a reasonable timeframe. The authorizing party may also withdraw authorization at any time.
What are the Consequences of not Having a Health Record?
Not having a health record can negatively affect both patients and clinicians. Patients may not get the best treatment possible if they do not have access to their health information, and clinicians may not make informed decisions about care if they do not have all the information needed.
Patients may also have trouble accessing new medical services because providers cannot tell what other therapies they already receive.
What are the Consequences of Having a Health Record?
Having a health record has many benefits for patients, clinicians, and healthcare organizations. Patients can benefit from improved quality of care after learning which treatments work best for them, and clinicians can benefit from better care coordination when all the information about their patients is readily accessible.
Since an electronic health record contains more information than paper records, it allows for improved data collection needed for clinical research and population-based analysis that can be used to improve patient care in the future.
Healthcare organizations can benefit by having one standardized system that holds all this information rather than multiple systems that may not be compatible.
As you can see, having a health record benefits patients and clinicians. Everyone must understand the importance of keeping these records accurate and up-to-date. Patients should always bring their health records when they visit a new healthcare provider.
Clinicians should collect all relevant information during each visit and update the health record as needed. Healthcare organizations should create an electronic system that allows all authorized individuals to easily access patient information. By doing so, we can improve the quality of care for everyone involved.
Now that we have defined a health record and discussed some of the benefits and consequences of having one let’s look at how they are used in practice.
The following section will explore how health records are used in clinical care and research.
How are Health Records Used in Clinical Care?
Health records provide helpful information for clinicians during every type of visit. They help determine if symptoms fit into a known condition, which helps to narrow down possible causes and treatments.
For example, if the patient reports feeling lightheaded and dizzy, their symptoms could suggest anemia or orthostatic hypotension. Knowing that the patient has diabetes tells us that they may have developed neuropathy, making orthostatic hypotension more likely than anemia.