Numerous patient complaints regarding the accessibility
write 300–500 words that respond to the following questions with your thoughts, ideas, and comments. This will be the foundation for future discussions by your classmates. Be substantive and clear, and use examples to reinforce your ideas.
As a manager of a health care facility, you have had numerous patient complaints regarding the accessibility and readability of their requested patient records. Some of the complaints include incomplete chart files, disorganized records, illegible information because of multiple handwriting styles, and quality of printing with the copy or fax transmissions. In addition, many of the complaints concern the vast amount of time waiting until the files can be located, assembled, copied, and delivered. Some wait times were up to 3 weeks in length, delaying patient treatment. Lastly, the complaints also center on the $0.75 per-page fee that the patients and physician offices pay for the hard copies created from the original pages. For this DB respond to the following question:
What steps could be taken to streamline the medical records department process?
Sample Solution
In order to streamline the medical records department process at a health care facility, there needs to be a focus on improving accessibility, readability, and efficiency. One way to do this would be to invest in an electronic health record (EHR) system which allows for the secure sharing of patient information between healthcare providers and other stakeholders (Gillespie-Lynch et al., 2019). This could significantly reduce wait times as well as decrease paperwork since all documents can now be accessed digitally via computers or tablets. The use of EHR systems also eliminates the need for hard copies, thus eliminating associated fees which can help improve overall affordability.
Additionally, it may also be helpful introducing barcoding technology into existing filing systems so they are more organized and efficient when accessing large amounts of data. Barcode scanners can quickly locate folders or documents regardless of their physical location while also making it easier to track down any missing files that may have been misfiled (Karp & Clear 2017).
Finally, implementing rules around legibility standards such as maintaining consistent handwriting styles or using typed forms whenever possible can help ensure that patients’ requests are properly processed without significant delays due to illegible notes (Armstrong & Hagel III , 2015). Similarly, high quality printing with sharp images should also become standard practice when creating hard copies from digital sources in order to maintain accuracy across all materials.
