Copying Common in Electronic Medical Records

Stokes, Trevor. "Copying Common in Electronic Medical Records." Reuters. January 4, 2013.

From the article: "Most doctors copy and paste old, potentially out-of-date information into patients' electronic records, according to a new study looking at a shortcut that some experts fear could lead to miscommunication and medical errors…Using plagiarism-detection software, the researchers analyzed five months' worth of progress notes for 135 patients.

They found that 82 percent of residents' notes and 74 percent of attending physicians' notes included 20 percent or more copied and pasted material from the patients' records." Read more

See also 

Thornton, J. Daryl, Schold, Jesse D., Venkateshaiah, Lokesh and Bradley Lander. "Prevalence of Copied Information by Attendings and Residents in Critical Care Progress Notes." Critical Care Medicine, December 20, 2012. 

EHRs May Turn Small Errors Into Big Ones

Baum, Stephanie. "EHRs May Turn Small Errors Into Big Ones." MedPage Today, December 16, 2012.  

From the article: "As electronic health record systems become more interconnected, errors may propagate much farther than under old paper-based systems, a recent study suggested.

According to a review by the PennsylvaniaPatient Safety Authority, mistakes and near misses involving electronic health records were analogous to those made with paper-based records with one caveat: those made with EHRs tend to be amplified and can affect a larger group of people.

The Authority's study looked at 3,099 reports from Pennsylvania hospitals detailing 3,946 problems. More than 2,700 incidents involved near misses and 15 involved temporary harm to patients.

The study focused on incidents from 2004 to 2012 in which electronic health records were the root cause in the event, as opposed to being incidental.

Electronic health records are designed to be more efficient than paper-based records, but the two systems have one thing in common: they're developed and maintained by people. The most common source of problems identified in the study rested with data entry and, to a much lesser extent, with technical glitches.

Medication errors accounted for about 80% of the cases, or 2,516 reports. Many of the remainder involved lab tests." Read more

Are Personal Health Records Safe? A Review of Free Web-Accessible Personal Health Record Privacy Policies

Carrión Señor, Immaculada, Jose Luis Fernández-Alemán and Ambrosio Toval. "Are Personal Health Records Safe? A Review of Free Web-Accessible Personal Health Record Privacy Policies." J Med Internet Res 2012;14(4):e114.

From the abstract: "Several obstacles prevent the adoption and use of personal health record (PHR) systems, including users’ concerns regarding the privacy and security of their personal health information.

… Most privacy policies of PHR systems do not provide an in-depth description of the security measures that they use. Moreover, compliance with standards and regulations in PHR systems is still low." Read more

The Future of Health Care Innovations Depend on Today's Policies

Ko, Kathy Lim. "Health Care Innovations Depend on Today's Policies." iHealthBeat, August23, 2012.

From the blog: "While there is no single solution that will eliminate health and health care disparities, advances in technology offer some exciting possibilities. Health IT and the use of electronic health records have the potential to transform the health care delivery system into one that is more patient-centered and coordinated, with improved quality and lowered costs. … Unfortunately, these technologies are not without their own challenges. Low-income communities and communities of color often lack access to the high-speed broadband that supports these life-saving and enhancing technologies. Without a dedicated push to promote the adoption of new technologies in underserved communities, many may continue to be denied access to such technologies." Read more

HHS Announces Next Steps To Promote Use Of Electronic Health Records And Health Information Exchange

Department of Health and Human Services. "HHS Announces Next Steps To Promote Use Of Electronic Health Records And Health Information Exchange." Press Release, August 23, 2012.

From the Press Release: "HHS’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and HHS’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT released final requirements for stage 2 that hospitals and health care providers must meet in order to qualify for incentives during the second stage of the program, and criteria that electronic health records must meet to achieve certification.

The requirements announced …: 
  

• Make clear that stage two of the program will begin as early as 2014. No providers will be required to follow the Stage 2 requirements outlined today before 2014.
• Outline the certification criteria for the certification of EHR technology, so eligible professionals and hospitals may be assured that the systems they use will work, help them meaningfully use health information technology, and qualify for incentive payments.
• Modify the certification program to cut red tape and make the certification process more efficient.
• Allow current “2011 Edition Certified EHR Technology” to be used until 2014." Read more

See also

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. "CMS Medicare and Medicaid EHR Incentive Programs: Stage 2 Final Rule." August 23, 2012.