Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital

NATIONAL MEDICAL RECORDS WEEK,
NOVEMBER 2-8, 2003

Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital recognizes the contributions of the health information management and technology fields.

November 2 through November 8 was National Medical Records Week. Sponsored by the American Health Information Management Association [AHIMA]. This annual event recognizes the work of those healthcare professionals who maintain and protect health information of Americans nationwide. This year’s theme is “Managing the Records of Life.” Because, at its core, that’s what the Medical Record Professionals hard work and effort is all about: maintaining and advancing the cause of medical records so that the knowledge that is gathered helps advance the cause of quality healthcare.

Earlier this year, the Final privacy Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act [HIPAA] went into effect. Under this new federal regulation, patients now have the right to view, amend and obtain copies of their health information. This has increased their knowledge of the importance of properly managed health information.

“A medical record serves as the basis for planning patient care. To receive quality healthcare, accurate and timely health information is crucial - this is the primary goal of the medical record professional.” Medical records week is an opportunity to learn more about the role these professionals play in the healthcare system, as well as recognize and celebrate their contributions to patient care, public health and the bottom line.”

Medical Record Professionals contribute to “Managing the Records of Life” by:

Ensuring HIPAA awareness so that healthcare organizations are cognizant of and complying with the new regulations
Protecting patient privacy and providing information security
Ensuring health information is complete and available to legitimate users
Coding ans classifying data for reimbursement.
Analyzing information necessary for decision support
Administering health information computer systems
Preparing health data for accreditation surveys
Analyzing clinical data for research and public policy
Preventing fraud and abuse

Created in 1928 and celebrating its 75th anniversary, AHIMA is a professional Association that represents more than 45,000specially educated Medical Record professionals who work throughout the healthcare industry.

Thanks to all of the employees of the Medical Record Department at NNRH for all of their hard work throughout the year.

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