Describe the differences between the clinical and nonclinical functions of the health record.

Week 4 – Discussion 1

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Reference the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

This discussion has two options.  Please choose either Option A or Option B and indicate within your post which option you chose.

Option A: Pretend you are the director of health information at a large medical center that offers inpatient, outpatient, and emergency care at several sites in one state.  Your medical center has announced that it will acquire a facility offering similar services in a neighboring state.  The laws and regulations governing the retention and destruction of health records differ between these states.  (Case Study, p.169)

How would the lack of a consistent set of laws and regulations on these two matters affect the institution you serve?  Outline the specific steps you would take to deal with the current situation.

Option B: Imagine you are an experienced consultant in the field of health information management, you have been asked to deliver a presentation to hospital personnel regarding the legal and ethical issues central to health information management.  In particular, you are expected to provide an overview of the uses and functions of the health record, as well as patient record requirements.  Describe the differences between the clinical and nonclinical functions of the health record.  Which of these functions are more closely related to information management?  Discuss the legal requirements for health records as related to content and timely and complete health records. What are the professional guidelines for this practice?

Guided Response (for Option A and Option B): Review several of your classmates’ posts.  Provide a substantive response to at least two of your peers, one who selected Option A and one who selected Option B.  Describe any similarities and differences between your approach and that of your peer.  Do you agree with their analysis?  Why or why not?  What are one or two strengths and weaknesses of their response?  Make suggestions for solutions to any weaknesses.