HCPro.com: EHR Connection

EHR Connection is your connection to all the information you need to make your electronic health record efforts successful. You'll get tips each week on topics such as vendor selection, evaluating return on investment, getting buy-in from physicians and much more.

April 21, 2008 (Volume 5, Issue 16)

Stolen NIH laptop computer contained more than 1,200 Social Security numbers
National Institutes of Health (NIH) officials acknowledged that a laptop computer stolen in February contained the Social Security numbers of more than 1,200 health study participants, according to an April 10 article in The Washington Post.

New York Times editorial urges mandatory encryption in aftermath of NIH theft
The New York Times wasted no time after the theft of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) computer containing information regarding approximately 3,000 heart patients became public knowledge. It immediately endorsed legislation requiring encryption and notification deadlines in its March 26 editions.

AHIMA responds to New York Times editorial, endorses greater privacy protection
”The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) strongly supports the concept of extending privacy protection to patient data held by all organizations, not just the organizations that are currently covered by federal privacy regulations,” Jill Callahan Dennis, senior vice president of public and industry leadership for AHIMA, said in a March 31 letter to the editor of The New York Times.

PPV: Think outside the box when thinking about EDMS
Electronic Document Management Systems (EDMS) have existed for many years and have served varying purposes during EHR implementation. Hospitals originally used an EDMS as a tool to replace alternative forms of record archival storage, such as microfilm, microfiche, or CDs. An EDMS allowed hospitals to scan paper documents into a database.

Tip: Use these strategies during negotiations with EHR vendors
The devil is always in the details. This is especially true with respect to complex business deals. Ensure favorable contract terms by following this game plan for effective negotiations with your EHR vendor:

Other recently-published articles from EHR Connection:

Medical identity thieves strike it rich with sophisticated techniques

Savvy healthcare consumers do their homework before selecting PHRs

Kaiser Permanente provides outpatient EHR access to 8.7 million

PPV: Handle medical record amendments as you move to EHRs

Tip: More definitions to ease transition from paper records to EHRs

Security breaches threaten privacy of hundreds of thousands of patients nationwide

’Holy trinity’ makes hospital data especially enticing to identity thieves

Security officers say they know the rules, but is patient information really safe?

PPV: Outsource your data storage-Reduce stress and remain HIPAA compliant without breaking the bank

Tip: Add these acronyms to your EHR dictionary

PPV: Don’t let voluminous paper overwhelm you during transition to an EHR

Most New Hampshire hospitals joining technology bandwagon

Medical Records Institute announces new TEPR Award

E-mail is what the patient wants, but not what the doctor ordered

Tip: Answers to some FAQs about EMRs

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