Bates, DW et al (2002) A Proposal for Electronic Medical Records in U.S. Primary Care J Am Med Inform Assoc ;10:1-10 This paper, developed by the National Alliance for Primary Care Informatics, a collaborative group sponsored by a number of primary care societies, argues that providers' and patients' information and decision support needs can be satisfied only if primary care providers use electronic medical records (EMRs). Although robust EMRs are now available, only about 5% of U.S. primary care providers use them. Recently, with only modest investments, Australia, New Zealand, and England have achieved major breakthroughs in implementing EMRs in primary care. Substantial benefits realizable through routine use of electronic medical records include improved quality, safety, and efficiency, along with increased ability to conduct education and research. Nevertheless, barriers to adoption exist and must be overcome. This paper is a valuabel summing up of the importanc eof EMR to medical instutions, the challenges, and how institutions can meet these challegnes.
¶ … Adams, K.E. (2012). Benefits of outsourcing medical records retrieval. Retrieved from http://ezinearticles.com/?Benefits-of-Outsourcing-Medical-Records-Retrieval&id=4457852
Outsourcing EMR has numerous benefits including saving time and money, freeing up staff for other important work, and making the work as a whole more reliable, reprehensibility, and timely.
The benefits of this to my essay are obvious: I am demonstrating the benefits of EMR to my company.
Dunn, R. (2003). HIPAA copy charges for medical records. Healthcare Financial Management, Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3257/is_12_57/ai_n6068597/
This article deals with costs related to the HIPPA including itemizing expenses, expenses for accumulation the data and sending out ROI on time; fees for copies and so forth.
The article is helpful since it supports a former one about the large, often ignored expense of EMR and outsourcing / insourcing of EMR that needs to be also taken into consideration.
The Business Case for ROI Outsourcing. Advance.
http://health-information.advanceweb.com/Article/the-Business-Case-for-ROI-Outsourcing-2.aspx
The article provides crucial information about the challenges involved in releasing the sensitive data. It provides techniques for how to do so including factors to keep in mind, how to manage the budget, and how to manage the risks.
A helpful article since it adds to the aspect of HIPAA and provides suggestions about how to deal with the risks. This adds to previous articles that simply warned about the challenge of ROI.
(2011). Release of information cost remain high in highly regulated environment. ProTech Solutions, Retrieved from http://protecsolutions.wordpress.com/2011/01/17/release-of-information-costs-remain-high-in-highly-regulated-environment/
Costs of ROI remain high since there are many different elements involved and costs are charged for various parts of the process. Multiple information systems complicate the process and electronic ROI also means converting paper to digital interface. The website offers ways that one may possibly be able to recoup costs.
This information adds to previous data about the expense of ROI. Its differences lie in its advice of recouping cost.
Larch S. Outsource or in source your medical billing.. Getting paid.
http://www.kareo.com/gettingpaid/2011/01/out-source-or-in-source-your-medical-billing-how-do-you-decide/
The website touches on some highlights of the common debate about how our billing operations should be structured -- within the medical group or outsourced to an external billing operation. It brings advatnages and disadvantages as well as aspects of both approaches. Its balanced perspective is ideal for my essay since it clearly shows the nuances of both positions. The article concludes that:
The most important part of any billing operation is that you have expert management -- and that can happen in either model. That expert has to know physician billing, has to be results driven and an outstanding staff recruiter! Focus on that expert and then think about the structure.
Bierce & Kenerson. (2009). Privacy in outsourcing of health information. White Paper, Retrieved from http://www.outsourcing-law.com/2009/10/privacy-in-outsourcing-of-health-information
This White Paper is on summary details, regulations, standards, terms, and definition of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA") . There are also two sections on outsourcing of Medical Information Processing Services. This source is useful to my essay in that not only does it add to explaining the significance of the HIPAA, but it also relates to the HIPPA in connection to outsourcing of Medical Information Processing Services which is what my essay is about.
uxbaum J. Spotlight on HIEs and EHRs. How outsourcing fits in. Health Management Technology [serial online]. May 2011;32(5):20-21. Available from: MEDLINE, Ipswich, MA.
A brief history of health care it being used to promote and help health care as well as the benefits and challenges that electronic ROI provides the health care profession. A case history is provided to show how electronic outsourcing can help.
This article is useful since it provides the history as well as a case history to illustrate technicalities.
The release of patient information: A conversation on outsourcing vs. in-house and how this affects patient experience. (2012). Retrieved from http://emergewithus.com/2011/11/the-release-of-patient-information-a-conversation-on-outsourcing-vs.-in-house-and-how-this-effects-patient-experience/
Medical records must be deal with professionally and outsourcing provides many more benefits than in-sourcing does: for instance it can "decrease cost, increase security, raise integrity and transfer HIPAA liability away from the providers themselves. Outsourcing decreases the amount of time for processing insurance claims and allows patients to receive medical record and insurance payments more quickly. These aspects combine to produce a more positive patient experience"
This data of comparison of outsourcing to in-sourcing is beneficial for the essay.
Articles / White papers
Bellenghi, M. (2009). Where emr's hit a wall in the HIM world. AHIOS
http://www.ahios.org/pdf/AHIOS%20WP_Where%20EMRs%20Hit%20a%20Wall%20in%20the%20HIM%20World%202009.pdf
This white paper explains the differences between the clinical electronic health record (EHR ) and the legal / business health record (LHR). It also explains the challenges that the clinical record encounters, once it enters the release-of-information (ROI) world as an LHR, and why it is important that every health-care organization has human intervention in the health information management (HIM) environment. Finally, the paper also explains the challenges involved in the actual ROI process, which explains unintentional human error in the process.
The source can be useful to my paper since it not only distinguishes between the HER and the LHR but adds nuances to the difficulties of the ROI and shows how agonizingly difficult the entire process actually is.
Bellenghi, M. (2010). Outsourcing release of information services: How to build and maintain a vital partnership. Retrieved from http://www.ahios.org/pdf/AHIOS_WP2 _final.pdf
This pdf talks about the benefits and strategies of outsourcing vendors and how to make this operate successfully. Benefits include the fact that outsourcing vendors offer the spare hands needed to extend department resources while bringing to bear the focused knowledge and expertise that allow both process improvement and progress on new initiatives.
This is a valuable article since it adds something new to the essay, namely the advantages of employing vendors and how to do so.
Bellenghi, Coffey, FOurnier, McDavid. (2008, November). Release of information are hospitals taking a hit?. Healthcare Financial Management [serial online]. 62(11):118-122.
Outsourcing release-of-information requests helps hospitals alleviate administrative and compliance burdens and expense. Recently, state lawmakers have begun to draft legislation reducing the maximum fee that may be charged for copies of electronically stored records. The reduced fees may not cover expenses. If such legislation makes it difficult for outsourcing companies to make a profit from this service, hospitals ultimately could bear the expense and risk.
This article adds to previous ones about expense of ROI telling us how this may impact hospitals. This note of caution is important as adjunct to EMR.
Yeager, D. (2011, April 11). Copy fees: The battle continues. For the Record. Retrieved from http://www.fortherecordmag.com/archives/041111p14.shtml
Government has pushed for hospitals and medical institutions to adopt electronic records but now there is the tussle over pricing as hospitals, lawyers, and ROI vendors negotiate over copy fees. There are the various frees that need to be taken into consideration such as for processing and for HIPPA, and then -- to complicate the matter still further -- fees vary form state to state.
How this applies to my essay, is that it elaborates on, and provides a different facet, to the complexity of using EMR: there is the factor of pricing, and all technicalities of this pricing, also to be considered.
Academic Journals
Wang, SJ et al. (2003). A cost-benefit analysis of electronic medical records in primary care the American Journal of Medicine, 114, 397-403
Electronic medical record systems improve the quality of patient care and decrease medical errors, but their financial effects have not been as well documented. The purpose of this study was to estimate the net financial benefit or cost of implementing electronic medical record systems in primary care.
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