Regina's Story Summary

Patient portals offer many functions to allow a patient or proxy access to healthcare information to help improve patient healthcare. Within the patient portal a patient can access a portion of their health record; such as “medical history, health issues, medication lists, test results, care plans, allergy list,” schedule appointments, view and pay bills online, request medication refills, fill out forms electronically, and upload clinical information (Sayles 331). In addition, there are other functions that Surae Lucie took advantage of to help get her mother’s health back on track that are recommended by the National Learning Consortium. She used proxy access to access her elderly mother’s record, and sent messages to her mother’s healthcare providers to get her mother’s medication dosage and

In the health care business, there are certain standards and laws that have been put in place to protect our patients and their personal health information. When a health care facility fails to protect their patient’s confidential information, the US Government may get involved and facilities may be forced to pay huge sums of money in fines, and risk damaging their reputation.

During the second week, I had the opportunity to accompany Mr. Price to meetings that he had with the managers of the nurses and schedulers. During those meetings, the managers discussed the ideal approach of how to accommodate patients who call the schedulers to acquire appointments for urgent medical concerns. There seemed to be a problem with patients taking up appointment slots when they do not have a true need to be assessed by their doctor. It was ultimately concluded that the schedulers would coordinate communication between the patient and the registered nurse. The nurse would then triage the patient’s concerns over the phone and provide medical guidance,

We’ve all heard the saying, “If it’s not documented, it didn’t happen.” While it is an age old saying, it reveals one of the biggest issues within healthcare. The issue is not just proper and accurate documentation, but having a documentation that can keep up with the rapidly shifting and changing landscape that is healthcare. “Documentation is critical for patient care, not only because it validates the care that was provided, but also because it shares key data with subsequent caregivers and optimizes claims processing.” (Recognizing the Value of Clinical Documentation Improvement, 2014).

When external requests come from an acute care hospital or nursing home for the release of information (ROI) for a patient’s medical records, various procedures take place. The ROI clerk must be knowledgeable of all the federal and state regulations and any laws that are involved. Whether it is paper-based, hybrid, or electronic, the procedure is still the same. The patient must sign a consent form or letter of authorization and must be accompanied by the request form to have any documents released. Upon receiving this request, the ROI clerk enters the request in a database to log the request, then needs to ensure the forms are valid before the patient information is released. Once the patient has been verified, then, only the specific information

The Global News article brings to light how bad the wait times in emergency rooms really are with people 55 and older waiting more than 2 days to see a doctor. This article informs the public of the situation providing enough statistics and resources in a reader friendly tone, while giving examples of how a province, like Saskatchewan, is

The security and privacy of personal health records has been a long standing concern of providers and patients alike. However, this concern has developed into a large scale lack of continuity for patient’s most private health information. Dr. Deborah Peel, a physician and Freudian psychoanalyst, is a long standing advocate for the improved rights and control of personal health information. She notes that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) does not protect health data, but creates commercializing of health information (Peel, 2014) and is no longer about patient care. In past years it was easier to maintain custody and control of hardcopy patient health records. The misconception is that this data is safely guarded

Within this report I am going to state how the King’s Cross Underground fire in 1987 happened and the evacuation process that the authorities followed. I am also going to state why this incident led to the identification of a method of fire propagation known as the “trench effect”.

As the national health care system transitions to the electronic health record (EHR), it is important to recall the impetus to this reform. Prior to the implementation of the electronic health record, the national health care system encountered many problems that impeded quality patient care. There was not a standardized formal structure with the process. Consequently, it lacked communication across disciplines and among providers and

Disclosure for direct patient care emphasizes the importance of limiting the exposure of health care information of a patient to only the one offering treatment. Although physicians are not required to receive their patient’s authorization, others healthcare workers, such as billers, coders, and front desk staff, are not allow to gain access to patient’s health information. In my opinion, this disclosure is essential to those whose careers are in the medical field. My mother is a registered nurse at the same hospital I was admitted to multiple of times for several unexpected emergencies. Although her coworkers shown concern, my personal information, lab results, and the treatments are confidential and only my mother and my physician are allow to see this private information. Several of years later, when I moved from New Jersey to Maryland, I felt comfortable having control of my health information by being asked to call my old physician to fax my health records to my new general physician. After calling, they also required my new physician to send a fax to them with my signature ensuring that my information is secured and only the new physician who is responsible for my care receives and reviews it. A

patient is no longer able to attend a hospital that meets their needs, the lives of the individual’s

Several existing problems precipitated the creation of the triage system implemented by Kathryn Angell in an effort to deliver improved medical care. The main problem was a lack of coordination in service delivery. This lack of coordination caused excessive wait times on the order of anywhere from 23 to 40 minutes to see a nurse, 40 to 50 minutes to see a doctor, and as long as 55 minutes to get a prescription filled. The practice of all nurses being involved initially in seeing all patients caused duplication of efforts, including repeating questions and examinations, and resulted in procedural bottlenecks. Additionally, there were inconsistent levels of service and extreme variation in treatment because of the different experience

He had to drive approximately 140 miles to get to his VA hospital. Upon arrival, he described it as “depressing” and “unprofessional.” Upon further discussion, the veteran reported that the building was “extremely run down.” While discussing service, he reported that the hospital and providers were either “way overbooked or understaffed.” He was also discouraged with the service he received from the doctors. He decided to get a second opinion from his family doctor when told that his disability payment would not be increased for a crooked vertebra in his back, which causes him extreme pain. Mason discussed the process of making an appointment: he recalled that he had to wait four to six weeks, to see a provider. That is over two times the expected wait time. He reported that instead of the suggested two week period, he had to wait four to six weeks, causing him to wonder if he was placed on the “phantom waiting list.” Not only was he annoyed with the wait time, but also the actual process of making an appointment. He reported that he had to call three different people to make an appointment, but if one of those people were gone, nothing would get done until they returned because there was only one person that did that particular job (A. Mason, personal communication, September 20,

Waiting for medical attention is not a friendly process. The process can have serious consequences for both patients, and those working within the healthcare system (Barua, Esmail, & Jackson, 2014). Delaying access to health care may cause increased pain and suffering in patients and could even lead to severe mental health consequences (Barua, Esmail, & Jackson, 2014). Waiting for health care can also lead to economic consequences, such as reduced productivity, reduce the ability to work for an individual

Burke, Sheila. "TN Supreme Court to Hear Field Sobriety Case." The Tennessean. N.p., 23 Mar. 2013. Web. 28 Mar. 2013.