Are More Hospitals Heading Towards Patient Record Fines?
For the Obama Administration, healthcare reform has been at the forefront. A large part of that reform is the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, (HITECH) which rewards physicians and facilities that utilize electronic health records systems (EHR) to properly enhance medical care and patient safety in the US. Let’s discuss the flip side of the coin and delve into the proposed penalties this act will bestow upon those who do not use the system according to regulation.
What is HITECH?
The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, (HITECH) is actually an extension of an earlier act authorized by Congress in 1996. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) contains a privacy rule that governs patient safety. This act controls what pertinent patient information is used by physicians and medical facilities and for what purposes. HITECH expanded these requirements in an effort to offer more efficient guidelines to further protect patient safety. This act also aims at cutting costs for Medicaid/Medicare by way of reducing the amount of duplicate patient tests and prescription drug abuse.
The Bright Side
Medical providers adopting an electronic health records system (and using it for the specified purposes that fall under