Page 9 - Part 1 Navigating Electronic Media in a Healthcare Setting

SVMIC Navigating Electronic Media in a Healthcare Setting

PART ONE

Introduction

Electronic communication has revolutionized the medical
profession. The ability to exchange healthcare information

electronically and the utilization of electronic health records (EHR)
gives practitioners the opportunity to provide higher quality and

safer care for patients while creating measureable benefits for their

organization and practice. Electronic communication allows
providers opportunities to better manage care for their patients

and provide better healthcare by providing accurate and complete
information about patients at the point of care. It also enables safer,

more reliable prescribing, easier and more accurate diagnoses of

patients and promotes complete and legible documentation, as
well as streamlined coding and billing. Unfortunately, the

technology intended to make professional lives easier and provide
better patient care is creating new and additional risks for the

healthcare provider.

As shown by the following graph, documentation and
communication are the two primary factors negatively affecting the

defensibility of a malpractice claim.

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