Personal Health Record Analysis

An Electronic Health Record is a computerized form of a patient’s medical chart. These records allow information to be readily available to authorized providers during a patient’s encounter with the healthcare system. These systems do not only contain medical histories, current medications and insurance information, they also track patients’ diagnoses, treatment plans, immunization dates, allergies, radiology images and lab tests/results (source). The fundamental aspect of EHRs is that they are able to share a patient’s information quickly across service lines and even between different healthcare organizations. Information is at the fingertips of lab techs, primary care physicians, pharmacies, clinics, etc. The

EHRs are computerized versions of patient’s paper charts. EHRs makes the health information about the patient accessible anywhere at any time. EHR holds the pertinent information about a patient’s medical history, medications, immunization record, allergies, radiology and other diagnostic images, and lab results (Health Information Technology (Health IT), 2013). EHR makes patient care safer by bringing together all health records from previous and current doctors, as well as pharmacies and different diagnostic facilities.

This information helps the office maintain records of their patients and behind the scenes can be used to track legal document describing the care rendered,

Legal considerations vary between a PHR and HER. In regards to EHR, facilities must establish policies and procedures regarding what will be contained in a patient legal record and the criteria for retaining its security and integrity. Facilities must establish policies that address the managing of the electronic documentation. For instance the time frame designated for a document to be completed and edited before it converts to part of the patient’s legal chart. Lastly, EHR’s differ and a facility should take into consideration the role of their particular EHR when establishing their policies (Bowie & Green, 2015). The privacy and security components of the HITECH Act places its emphasis on inherent issues in wider electronic health information exchange, requiring: notification of breaches, added authorization for particular uses of identifiable data, audit trails and increased enforcement of the federal privacy and security rules. (Cushman et al., 2010) **FINISH THIS WITH LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

Personal Health Records are in many forms; you can get them in paper form, or on the personal computer using the internet there are even PHR applications that can be bought and be applied to a phone or tablet (www.sharecare.com, 2016). The PHR system is a way that the patient can keep track, and share past or present health information with their healthcare provider. Some of the information that is contained in a Personal Health Record that is given to a patient from a health care office will contain an identification sheet; this has the patient’s personal information, like name, address, phone number, and the type of insurance that the patient has. Often a medication list is included; this contains a list of current and past medication that the patient is taking. The patient can also receive any progress notes that have been done by the health provider with any information that contains physician’s orders, like imaging or further blood tests that are required and even follow-up visits that may be needed.

Personal Health Records: To help improve PHM programs patients and physicians need to be actively involved. In order to help engage patients a personal health record should be established. This will allow patients to view their own clinical results and be able to communicate with their health care team.

According to the Healthcare Information Management and Systems Society (HIMSS), “Personal health records (PHRs) are consumer-centric tools that individuals can use to communicate with their health care providers to manage their own health and health care” (as cited in Kim & Nahm, 2012). Moreover, it is the patient who controls, updates, reviews data and information that is entered into the PHRs, except when an integrated PHR-EHR system is involved. There are barriers to employing a PHR such as data accuracy and data privacy and security.

Personal health records (PHRs) have numerous benefits to providers and patients. The information contained in PHR systems range from home measurement reports for blood sugar levels, blood pressure and body temperature, radiology images, laboratory results and family history information (Mandl &Kohane, 2016). The acquired system will facilitate storage of health information in ways that can be comprehended by patients without special assistance from physicians. Moreover, it will provide patients with important information such as interpretation and possible course of action. Patients will take an active role in disease prevention and management. The current system should be maintained because it meets all the qualities of a good PHR system. It has already been tested and proven to function properly to the satisfaction of both patients and doctors.

The health care system has come a long way from pen and paper. An introduction of computers slowly started to change the way doctors and nurse would chart. From paper charts and filing to scanning into the computer and keeping files on a floppy dicks and CDs. Now we are able to utilize an electronic computer charting system and a development of electronic health records. EHR is now a standard of handling information as well as storage and sharing of patient medical information that many people use and some people abuse.

“The electronic health record (EHR) is an evolving concept defined as a longitudinal collection of electronic health information about individual patients and populations. Primarily, it will be a mechanism for integrating health care information currently collected in both paper and electronic

The Relationship of Electronic Health Records (EHR) to the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR):

Why is a PHR needed? Sit back a moment and think... Do you have a place where ALL and I mean everything about your health

Electronic Health Records are a huge growing trend in todays modern healthcare industry. It has grown rapidly and continues to do so in a way that it has helped the health industry progress to a much better, sufficient way in handling patients health records. What electronic health records(EHR) are is information gathered from a patient from their past consultations and put into an electronic file that holds any and all information like past prescriptions, progress notes, any immunizations, etc. This helps automate the clinical flow work and holds the ability to provide a full report of any encounter with a patient.

PHRs contain all information pertaining to anything to do with your medical history. Anytime you went to the doctor or dentist. Any time you corresponded with a doctor or nurse whether via email or phone. You name it, it is more than likely documented in your health records.

The only time I have encountered a patient health record (PHR) is when I actually admit a patient to my unit. However, I do have access to my PHR once I get discharged from the hospital. It had never dawned on me that the PHR could be scanned onto a thumb dive or wallet size cards. According to (Hebda & Czar (2013), the PHR’s allow patient to view, collect, manage or share their health or process health-related transaction electronically. Health Information Technology (HIT) played an integral role in helping clients on how to gain access to his or her PHR.