Digital Patient Records: Impact of Government Laws - Essay Sample

Introduction

The health government laws have had an impact on the digital patient records that are created, managed, shared and maintained by the EMR systems. The records have been moved to systems that are based on computers to enable keeping track of the medical history of patients in a digital format (Haim, Stefanos, & Lyn 2010). The government leaders have challenged the health care providers to adopt the EMR systems hence laws made are in favor of the establishment of EMR.

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A potential impact of the government laws is that they will ensure services are strict and the implementation of the system is done in different institutions. The laws will ensure the protection of privacy and also security of the patient information which is according to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) (Haim, Stefanos, & Lyn 2010). There are certain requirements that are the HIPAA stipulates such as institutions maintaining compliance, physical security of the systems and protection of personal health information. The government law will also increase network/ wireless security levels for the SHC's facilities which will enable easier retrieval of the records for the patients and better personalized ways of keeping the information.

It is a positive impact on the clients more so because they will be secure about their records in that they can be retrieved whenever possible and personal information does not leak. Government laws and acts that support the implementation of the system imply that the planning for EMR will be critical to providing the best services to clients (Haim, Stefanos, & Lyn 2010). There is also enhancement of strong leadership and effective governance which is alongside change readiness and the involvement of stakeholders. The laws will ensure that there are fewer errors on medication hence efficiency and reliability of systems. The acts need to properly design the implementation of EMR systems so that they will not fail as a result of technical factors.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) which was created to help the economy of United States to recover from the downturn that had begun by putting billions into the pockets of American families and small businesses will help to ensure that the EMR systems comply with the operations of billing these families. The Act 's plan needs to fit in the EMR systems to ensure that every member provides details hence their access to the money.

The HITECH Act was signed to promote the adoption and also the meaningful use of health information technology. The impact of this Act which is related to the EMR systems is the meaningful use of interoperable electronic health records throughout the care delivery which is a critical national goal. The Act ensures that the data from the records of patients is used well to ensure delivery of national goal. The breach notification rule contained in HIPAA has also had a positive impact on the preservation of patient data hence the relation to the EMR. The media and other enterprises should not violate the Act.

Reference

Haim, M., Stefanos, Z., & Lyn D., (2010). Electronic Medical Records System Implementation at Stanford Hospital and Clinics, Case: OIT-103, Standford Graduate School of Business by