Are you a physician? If you are, there is a good chance that you keep accurate, detailed medical records; right? Even with accurate detailed record keeping, there is always a chance that a mistake could be made, after all even you are human. For that reason, you may want to think about starting your own medical records review program. A medical records review program is a way that you could help to ensure that all of your medical records are right.
When it comes to starting your own medical records review program, you will find that you have a number of different options. Before you automatically decide how you would like your program to be, you may want to think about familiarizing yourself with all of your options first. This will help to make sure that when you do make a decision, about your medical records review program, that the right decision will have been made; one that can benefit you and your medical practice.
In the United States, there are many physicians who choose to have their assistants or their nurses review their medical records for them. One of the many reasons why this type of medical records review is popular is because, often times, the nurses end up seeing the same patients as their doctor does. If you are like most other physicians, you likely send your nurses into the patient’s room to first check their vitals, as well as gather a little bit of background information. This background information is important, as it allows your nurses to learn a little bit about the patient being treated. After the patient has left, you and your nurse can both review the medical records to make sure that everything is up-to-date, accurate, and correct.
In addition to using a nurse or an assistant with medical records reviews, there are many physicians who are starting to look for outside assistance. This outside assistance could come from a medical records review company or organization. Many times, these companies require that you send in some type of documentation, like a tape of your patient’s appointments or past medical records. This helps to give them something to compare your notes to, to make sure that all of your medical records are accurate. Most medical record review companies or organizations only hired trained and skilled workers; workers who tend to have some background in the field of medicine.
If you don’t already have a medical record review program in place, it is advised that you come up with one and soon. As a physician, you should already know the importance of accurate and up-to-date medical records, as well as the consequences for not having them.