HIM 530 Module Five Scenarios on Mitigating Risk
Prompt: Select one of the scenarios below and evaluate and provide an analysis about how you would mitigate risk. Include at least one additional resource to support your analysis and include the following:
- Summarize the risk from the scenario.
- Identify the stakeholders.
- What strategies might you employ to mitigate the risk?
- What resources are required to employ the outlined strategies?
- What policies must be in place to employ the outlined strategies? Outline a prevention plan to ensure the risk does not occur again.
- What education might be needed for the various stakeholders around risk mitigation and prevention?
Even though this activity will be submitted to the discussion forum, responses to peers are not required. This is an activity that is designed to share information and insights with everyone in the small group.
Scenarios on Risk:
Medical Records: Best Friend or Worst Enemy?
“The failure to maintain adequate and accurate records may not only jeopardize the welfare of the patient, but also constitutes unlawful and unprofessional conduct. In addition, it may affect the availability of insurance for malpractice claims in which improper record keeping is involved.”
“Obviously, the most troubling record change cases are those in which records have been intentionally altered to cover up diagnostic, treatment, or charting deficiencies or errors. However, even legitimate, well-intended modifications to records can give rise to suspicion of improper intent if not correctly done.”
“The integrity of the record entries are critical to an organization: In order to be confident that an electronic health record system’s information is accurate—and an effective defense tool in the event of a liability claim—all users should have their own login name, password, and electronic signature. Some systems use the physician’s name as the author of an entry in the medical record, even those made by other staff members. Without individual password access and signatures, it can be difficult, even impossible, to determine when and who made an entry in the system. This uncertainty can lead to an entire medical record being questioned for accuracy and jeopardize the defense of a claim.”
