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PPV: Ask these questions to define your legal health record

EHR Connection, July 21, 2008

Unlike clothing, “one size fits all” is not an option when defining a legal health record (LHR). Federal, state, and some local laws provide the initial framework for an LHR, but fine-tuning the definition is ultimately the organization’s responsibility.
 
AHIMA defines the legal health record as “generated at or for a healthcare organization as its business record and is the record that would be released upon request.”
 
“What we’re really talking about is what are you going to hand out upon subpoena or other legal request,” says Kelly McLendon, RHIA, president of Health Information Xperts, LLC, in Titusville, FL.
 
This question is not easy to answer when potentially hundreds of different electronic systems contain the requested data. But it is a question that the record custodian must answer regardless of the record’s format—paper, electronic, or hybrid.
 
Click here to learn more about how an EHR system affects your legal health record.
 
The cost is $10. Medical Records Briefing subscribers can sign on for free access.

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