Most of us realize that medical records are being maintained for us with each visit to a physician's office, specialist, hospital, dentist, etc.  But how many of us realize that we have the right to access those records, receive copies, and even request addendum's?  And taking this a step further, have you ever thought about keeping your medical records at home - your personal health record (PHR)?  If not, it is high time you did!  Keeping a PHR could be especially important if you travel, have a chronic illness, have severe allergies, or are dependent upon certain medications.  Your medical records are scattered around at different facilities, and it may be very beneficial for you to put them all into one place.  You could do this in a simple 3-ring binder, or on a flash drive, or on a website designed especially for maintaining your PHR.

Think about the value of a PHR for your elderly parents, for your young children, and for the child you are sending off to college.  Visit this website http://www.myphr.com/ for more information, excellent resources, ideas, and a great education about keeping a PHR.  It may take some time to organize your records, but it will be worth the effort in the end!

Cindy Glewwe, M.Ed., RHIA / Health Science Curriculum Coordinator

Rasmussen College, Inc.

We would love to see you here. It will be a great chance to ask questions regarding your field, clarify  what you will want to do to prepare for your career search, and have Allied Health Professionals share their words of wisdom.

Where:

Eden Prairie Campus
7905 Golden Triangle Dr. Suite 100
Eden Prairie, MN 55344

Feel free to ask questions that evening or email me anything you would like to have discussed during that event.

At this point we have Allied Health Professionals representing:

• HIT/Coding
• Massage Therapy
• Hospitals
• Medical Assisting
• HR
• Pharmacy Technician

From: Kelsey Rogers Kennedy / Career Service Advisor
Rasmussen College, Inc. - Eden Prairie Campus

President Bush completed his final address to the nation last month, and in his final State of the Union address, he took time to include the ever important topic of Health Information Technology. During his two terms in office, President Bush has faithfully included topics that relate to Health Information and has also regularly addressed health policy issues when dealing with Congress. He has asked Congress to follow up on health policy issues including the need to “promote health information technology…to ensure that decisions about your medical care are made in the privacy of your doctor’s office, not in the halls of Congress.”

It is both motivating and gratifying to people working in the Health Information arena to know that the field is appreciated and a topic of interest at the top position in this powerful country. President Bush has also made his budget requests and they include large dollar amounts for health information technology and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

From: Denise Van Fleet, MS, RHIA
HIT program coordinator and instructor, Rasmussen - Rockford, Illinois

The ever changing and challenging field of health information technology is on the minds of the American people! A recent poll conducted by a renowned research firm polled over 2000 adults last month on the spicy topic of electronic health/medical records and the risks that electronic records have in regard to privacy issues.

The poll reports that 75% of responding U.S. adults believe that patients can receive better care IF health information was shared more easily via electronic systems. The majority of polled Americans, 63%, also believe that sharing electronic records could reduce medical errors which in turn would reduce health-care costs in the United States! A full 91% of responding participants indicated that patients should have access to electronic records maintained by their medical providers.

These beliefs ensure that growth and progress in the Health Information Technology field in the United States will continue and that experts in the field will continue to be challenged with roll-outs and implementations of electronic health/medical record systems.

This is but one reason why a Health Information Technology career is stimulating, demanding and rewarding!

What are your thoughts on this?

November 4 through 10 is Health Information and Technology (HI&T) Week

This annual event recognizes the work of health information management (HIM) professionals who maintain and protect the health information of consumers from coast to coast.

Every wonder where all of the thousands of medical records generate are stored? Hospitals and doctor’s offices as well as other treatment centers spend thousands of dollars each year to maintain the integrity and confidentiality of your medical history. You may be familiar or have heard the acronym HIPAA used when referring to the confidentiality of a health record. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a group of federal law originally designed to establish rights, protections, and other standards of care for working people with pre-existing medical conditions. This act along with others has helped to define the process by which health information is shared and stored. Health Information Technicians are individuals who ensure the accuracy, completeness, coding, security, storage and retrieval of health care-related data.

We are glad to celebrate this week in their honor!

Notice how HIPAA can be stretched to include the blogging world!

We have all heard discussions regarding aging baby boomers which includes many nursing educators. With the advancements in early diagnoses, intervention and preventative treatment, Americans are living longer.

However, as the population ages more direct care from health care facilitators such as nurses will be required. An interesting question was recently raised in Moira Herbst's article “Will the Nursing shortage contribute to more deaths?”

Predictors have been voicing for years that nurses will be in demand as the population ages.  Given the critical nursing shortage that is predicted to get even worse, hospitals are looking for alternative ways to attract nurses. It is interesting that we may be forced to look for nurses trained in foreign countries to help with the shortage.

Moira's article was sent to me by one of our board members who is also an accomplished registered nurse who directs her own business.

If you are researching career choices may I suggest nursing? There are few career choices with a brighter future than nursing.

First, you are guaranteed to always have a job opportunity. Next, entry level nursing positions offer great salary opportunities. Finally, because of the nursing shortage there is greater opportunity for advancement into management and specialty areas such as nursing education.

I am certain you will agree that we want the best care for our friends and family members. The thought of someone dying because of a lack in adequately trained personnel to render life preserving care is sobering.

What do you think?

I am often asked, “What is the difference between a Licensed Practical Nurse and a Certified Medical Assistant?”

Great Question. Both deal with direct patient contact. Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) often work in long-term patient care facilities such as extended living centers or nursing homes while Medical Assistants (MA) often work in a short-term environment. An LPN must successfully pass a nursing board exam and become licensed in the state where they plan to work. An MA usually completes a certification exam and operates under the license of the physician.

Medical Assistants work primarily in a doctor’s office assisting the doctor. They assist with the examination process, preparing the patient for tests performed in the office, collecting specimens, etc. The Medical Assistant may also perform various office procedures such as insurance form completion and patient scheduling.

I have been training students to become Medical Assistants for the past 15 years and I am delighted when one of my former students writes or calls to inform me of an interesting case in which they have been involved or that they are now teaching in a medical assisting program.

Both career opportunities afford direct patient care contact that is coveted by those wishing to be caregivers. Usually nursing programs have a waiting list for student entry which is typically not the case with medical assisting programs.

Becoming a Medical Assistant gives you a strong academic foundation which is beneficial if one wishes to later become a Registered Nurse.  To learn more about the Medical Assistant profession, visit  the U.S. Department of Labor - Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Please let me know if you have questions regarding how to become a Medical Assistant.

I was in a classroom a few days ago where a discussion regarding the distribution of health information to perceived family members or close friends was occurring. I was intrigued by the assumption of the participants.

It seems that most of the participants believe that if their family member or close friend is involved in a health crises requiring critical care hospitalization, the family member or close friend simply needs to inform the nursing staff that they are available to visit the patient and help with any medical decisions that need to be made. Most of the participants where aware of confidentiality policies but thought that in the event of an emergency they would be allowed to participate.

While some organizations are stricter than others, most will enforce and follow the rules and regulations defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or risk severe consequences. Those that do not comply are subject to audits and fines. While the instructor informed the class of the laws protecting health information one should know that there are also other agencies that provide protection against the distribution of personal information.

Proper disposal of important personal information must follow certain requirements or possible security breaches like the theft of intellectual property can occur. In addition, there is a growing list of regulations that address information security, privacy and document retention that must be understood by businesses. Non-compliance can result in serious legal problems from violations of:

• FACTA [Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act]
  New law requiring anyone retaining consumer information for business purposes to destroy the personal information before discarding it.
• GLBA [The Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act]
  Requires banking and financial institutions across the United States to describe how they will protect the confidentiality and security of consumer information.
• HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act]
  Requires healthcare providers and hospitals to protect patients' privacy and to ensure the security of patient/client health data.

These laws affect virtually all businesses. A business is held responsible for protecting information if:

• One or more people are employed
• A business keeps personal information on file for customers or employees
• A business accepts credit cards for payment
• A business buys or sells products on the Internet
• A business performs a credit check on an employee or potential customer

As a consumer you should be aware of these agencies that provide protection not only of your medical information but also your financial information.

Let me know what you think.