Your personal health information — do you know who has it or where to find it in Dallas, Houston or in the other Texas cities where you have lived? Do you have it? In most cases, a complete record of all of your personal health information can’t be found at any single location or in any consistent format. Each one of your healthcare providers (family practitioner, allergist, OB-GYN, etc.) compiles a separate medical record on you. And often times, these multiple medical records can lead to an incomplete story about your health.

Keeping your own personal health record (PHR) provides doctors with valuable information that can help improve the quality of care you receive. A PHR can minimize or eliminate duplicate tests. It can also help you receive faster, safer treatment and care in an emergency. In short, with a PHR, you can play a more active role in your healthcare.

Starting a Personal Health Record

Your health information is scattered across many different providers and facilities. A Personal Health Record is a collection of this information about your health or the health of someone you are caring for, such as a parent or child that you would actively maintain and update. The information comes from your healthcare providers, and most importantly, from you.

Why Start a PHR?

Your own PHR should provide a different perspective, showing all your health-related information. It can include any information that you think might affect your health, including information that your doctor may not have, such as your exercise routines, dietary habits, or glucose levels if you are diabetic.

In addition, the PHR is a critical tool that enables you to partner with your providers. It can reduce or eliminate duplicate procedures or processes, which can save healthcare dollars, as well as your time and the provider’s time.

What Should be in Your PHR?

When collecting information from your health records, make sure you include:

* Personal identification, including names, birth dates, and social security numbers

* Emergency contacts

* Names, addresses, and phone numbers of your physician, dentist, and other specialists

* Health insurance information

* Living wills and advance directives

* Organ donor authorization

* A list and dates of significant illnesses and surgeries

* Current medications and dosages

* Immunizations and their dates

* Allergies

* Important events, dates, and hereditary conditions in your family history

* A recent physical examination

* Opinions of specialists

* Important tests results

* Eye and dental records

* Correspondence between you and your provider(s)

* Correspondence between you and your health insurance company

* Permission forms for release of information, operations, and other medical procedures

* Any information you want to include about your health – such as your exercise regimen, any herbal medications you take and any counseling you may receive.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a PHR

Young, healthy people move, often frequently. Therefore you are likely to have health records scattered over all over Texas and beyond. Remember the flu last year in Dallas? And the routine exam three years ago in Houston? Keeping your own personal health record (PHR) provides new and existing doctors with valuable information that can help improve the quality of care you receive.

To start your personal health record, you will need to request a copy of your health records from all your healthcare providers, including your general practitioner, and your eye doctor, dentist, and any other specialists you have seen. Don’t feel that you need to gather all your health information at the same time. One way to handle your record retrieval is to ask for your recent records each time you visit a healthcare provider.

Incorporate the following steps, at your own pace, when creating your own personal health record:

1. Contact your doctors’ offices, the health information management (HIM) or the medical records staff at each facility where you have received treatment. Ask if your records are in an electronic format that you can access, or if you need to request copies. Also, ask your physician or the HIM professional to help you determine which parts of your record you need. Furthermore, find out if your provider has his or her own plan for helping patients to create their PHRs.

2. Ask for an “authorization for the release of information” form. Complete the form and return it to the facility as directed. Most facilities charge for copies. The fee should only include the cost of copying (including supplies and labor), as well as postage if you request the copy to be mailed. It can take up to 60 days to receive your medical records, so ask when you can expect to receive the information you’ve requested.

3. Now that you’ve gathered your information, there are a few different ways you can maintain your PHR. One way is to simply gather your information in a file folder. Not all information may be available to you in an electronic format, so an old-fashioned file folder or three-ring binder may be the easiest and most inclusive format. You can divide the binder into sections by family members. Then, within each family member’s section, divide information by year or illness.

4. There are many great digital PHR tools and services to help you get organized. You can burn data onto a CD. Also, portable devices, like keychain USB drives that plug into most computers, will make your PHR information extremely portable. There are also Internet-based services where you can store and retrieve your health information, including services which may be sponsored by your insurance company. Some services even help collect your data from your doctors and other healthcare providers.

Some of these digital PHR tools may be available free of charge and others are products or services you will need to purchase or pay a subscription fee to use.

5. Bring your PHR to all healthcare provider visits so that you have the information with you. And remember to keep adding and updating it with entries from providers, yourself, or your family member.

6. Because you won’t always have your PHR with you, create and carry a card that has vital information on it—such as medications or allergies—with you at all times.

7. Remember, this private information is yours and your family’s, so protect it and maintain its confidentiality. Let trusted family members know it exists, and where it’s being kept, but beyond that, keep it safe and protected.

Knowledge is power and your Personal Health Record can certainly empower you. The information gathered gives you information you can use when preparing for medical appointments. And it gives you more intimate knowledge of your healthcare, including giving you an active role in your preventive care and care management.

It’s easier to start gathering your medical records while you’re a young, healthy Texan compared to when you’re older and have a more complex medical history. Start with your parents and work your way up to your current healthcare providers.

With your PHR in hand, you will then want insurance to help with the costs when you need to visit physicians or have an unexpected hospitalization. Why not take a look at the revolutionary comprehensive individual health insurance solutions created by Precedent specifically for young, healthy individuals? Precedent offers affordable, individual health plans,. For more information, visit us at our website, [http://www.precedent.com]. We offer a unique and innovative suite of individual health insurance solutions, including highly competitive HSA-qualified plans, and an unparalleled “real time” application and acceptance experience.

If you are seeking an occupation associated with the field of medicine, a good choice for you would be to enroll in a school that offers health information technician training.

Typically, health information technician courses are comprised of a general education in addition to various classes in anatomy and physiology, computer science, medical coding, database management, applicable legal issues, and other relevant topics.

Students in schools for health information technology can attain an Associate Degree or professional certification, as well as continuing education units to maintain proficient levels of expertise. Also, individuals who have graduated from an Associate Degree program can opt to become Registered Health Information Technicians (RHIT); to do so, one must take a written exam provided by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

Graduates can become health information technicians (commonly interchanged with “medical records technicians”). While each employer may use diversified software and practices, students who enter the field will need additional on-the-job training to accommodate the many, miscellaneous applications and job-specific procedures.

Persons who have achieved full health information technician training, and who have become registered, may go onto professions dealing with medical coding and records, including the positions of medical secretaries and medical transcriptionists.

In general, health information technicians work in a variety of medical-related facilities such as physician offices, hospitals, medical clinics, hospitals, and geriatric care centers. Occupational outlook is promising; according to the U.S. Dept. of Labor Statistics, job growth is anticipated to be faster than average.

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Find Health Information Management Programs in the United States and Canada. Today, health information management programs are essential to candidates aspiring for job opportunities in physicians’ offices, home healthcare businesses, outpatient clinics, hospitals, nursing homes and other medical facilities.

While no two health information management programs are alike, it is essential to review course offerings at schools and career-training institutes that offer this and related programs. Though the majority of health information management programs are offered as degreed courses, a number of educational facilities may extend medical office specialist training, which can be completed as a job-specific course that results in a diploma or certificate.

Health information management programs are often accredited, and require successful completion of certification from the American Health Information Management Association. Common studies in health information management programs include liberal arts, and comprehensive health services administration training.

Graduates of health information management programs will have gained the knowledge and skills to successfully plan, direct, coordinate and supervise overall healthcare administration duties. Because healthcare managers (or medical and health service managers) must maintain client/patient records, it is critical that these healthcare workers continue education in computer technology and medical software to keep up with business demands.

Though States vary in regulations, students who desire to work in nursing care facilities as health care administrators must complete one of several health information management programs and have obtained a minimum of a Bachelor’s degree. In addition, a licensing examination is also required.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, growth in this field is expected to be positive; and individuals who have successfully completed all studies in any one of a number of health information management programs have the potential to achieve annual earnings of over $117k.

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Health Information Management Programs

Now day’s medical industries are going quite rapidly. According to that to build a career in health sector is not a bad thinking at all. You can earn good amount of money from this sector. In a medical management system the job sector include human resources, risk management, coding and billing, accounting, information technology, physician compensation plans, marketing and more. There is a rewarding career in medical billing. If you are interested in medical billing there are numbers of online medical billing institution which can help you for learning in this field. You have to be educated to take the task of a doctor’s office and its billing department. Your education skill evolve:

* Communication skills

* Office management

* Billing and coding

* Insurance coding

* Insurance law

* Computer science and many more

One of the main benefits to enter this field is the variety of educational degree that has been offered. If you are very much interested in medical career but lack in education, don’t worry because many accredited universities are offering courses for associates and bachelors degrees online. For those who are looking to begin a bachelor’s degree, nursing, physical therapy, and hospital managers, clinical laboratory science, and health information management careers are lucrative and in demand options.

People in the medical management careers also take care of business end to run the medical organization. Also, they organize, manage and administer services, which deal with medical health of the people. Also, that takes a lot of people specializing in different aspects of the health care by doing this, and there are a lot of medical management to explore. The health care organizations should keep the record of services that they give to clients and patients. The medical records manager also oversees medical records section in many medical institutions that includes physicians’ offices, hospitals, imaging centers, nursing homes, and lots more. Manager may as well set the departmental policies, train, hire, as well as supervise the workers as well as make the decisions about updating the department technology. Outlook for the medical records manager place is good 2010. The people who built career in medical management make the median salary of around $67,465 to $90,621.

The nurse manager, or else head nurse, also works in the specialized department in hospital, and nursing home and other patient facility. She is also liable for setting the departmental policies & procedures, training, hiring, & supervising nurses & providing the direct care or assessment of the patients.

Imagine that a former patient of your hospital files a lawsuit against your hospital. The charge leveled against your medical center is ‘the mysterious disappearance of the plaintiff’s medical records’. He claims that his medical registration and the files that record the previous treatments undergone by him are nowhere to be found. The entire hospital is put on alert as all the administrative personnel are ordered to locate the ‘particular file’. Countless hours are lost in this process; the room where the medical records are kept, has an appearance similar to a town hit by a tornado or an avalanche. Panic and anxiety soar high, and the tedious process of ‘hunting’ for the file results in the wasting of time, energy and money. Question: Could this unpleasant situation have been avoided? Answer: a resounding ‘yes’.

The ability to manage medical information effectively, is evocative of the ability to deliver great care In most of the low income countries, the majority of the hospitals or medical centers are understaffed and the patients are usually cramped in a limited space. Particularly in emergency cases, registering the patients’ files can be a daunting ordeal. To avoid chaotic or unpleasant situations from arising, effective medical records management is of paramount importance.

Medical records management pertains to the: planning, controlling, directing, organizing, training, promoting and other managerial activities related to the creation, maintenance, use and disposition of medical records to achieve adequate and proper documentation of a health care organization’s policies and transactions. To effectively carry out these functions, every hospital or health care center must have personnel trained in developing and maintaining fully integrated information management, data storage, protection and recovery programs. In other words, it is one of the prime responsibilities of the medical organizations and centers to take all necessary steps for safeguarding patient information.

Storing health care information and protecting that data is an ever increasing challenge for administrators and IT professionals. Moreover, the documents should be stored in such a manner so as to be easily retrieved for future use. In recent years, electronic medical-records are rapidly replacing the documents in paper form. It is note-worthy that the patient data or the medical-record must incorporate: the patient’s past medical history, age, gender, source of income, number of family members in an individual household, previous surgeries and any possible complications as a result of that particular surgery.

In a typical health care organization, hundreds to thousands of medical and support staff need to access patient data to do their jobs. The significant aim in this regard would be to effectively enforce access control to hospitals information systems( for ensuring patient privacy), without hampering medical care efficiency and effectiveness. This can be attained by only allowing the participants the medical-record personnel, hospital administrators and clinical staff- to view the confidential patient files.

A simple computer database is also of immense importance to manage patient information, standardized medical records forms and processes, and for safeguarding enhanced human resource management efforts. Medical-records accessibility and completeness ensures physician satisfaction, thereby allowing the physician to concentrate on the treatment of the patient’s illness; rather than worrying about unorganized medical records management. Therefore, a commendable manner of managing medical records is one of the hallmarks for guaranteeing the patient’s confidence in a health care organization.

Occupational Health and Safety management is a combination of practices and organisation. The demands on OHS management systems vary a lot depending on industry and organisational roles, but the basic best practices are much the same. Interestingly, some of the best new modern OHS management systems are the fully statutorily compliant, employer managed self insurance systems.

These are extremely well structured management programs, with full financial and operational management conducted in-house. These systems are extremely productive, containing risk, ensuring a good workplace environment and improving productivity. These programs also provide built in mechanisms for compliance with industry regulations, which is a particularly valuable business operational function.

An overview

OHS safety management requires strategic planning and systematic review of organisational practices for optimal performance.

Elements of planning include:

Scale and range of organisational operations Statutory requirements Risk profiling of business functions and operations Assessment of sickness and accidents in the workplace Management resources Compliance with the requirements of the regulator regarding OHS and risk management obligations (Mandatory in self-insurance licensing)

This is really a form of business planning. In practice OHS management can be seen in context with the organisational business plan, in directly relationship to all areas of workplace operations.

Tailoring your OHS management system to your business.

In many industries, the Occupational Health and Safety issues are complex. Risk management may involve very large amounts of capital and large numbers of different types of operation. OHS management systems in these multifaceted business environments require a very strong level of consistency from the policy stage to implementation in the workplace.

The Occupational Health and Safety management system must cover:

Occupational health and safety policies. Best practice OHS operational methods. Creation of practices for documentation of  procedures. Location based OHS criteria for specific needs. Reporting methodologies to ensure good quality, verifiable information for each stage of OHS procedures Databases and records required for OHS-related information.

Many businesses engage expert risk management consultants to create and implement their OHS management systems. This ensures best practice and currency of OHS procedures and statutory compliance. Many consultants also provide OHS management services. These services include monitoring of the OHS systems and are an invaluable asset for businesses which don’t have the management resources to conduct these operations themselves.

Getting your OHS management routines in place

Implementation of Occupational Health and Safety management systems is conducted using a managed prioritisation approach. Typically, this will be a phased, coordinated process mapped out in advance in consultation with business management.

The most important elements in implementation are training and familiarity with the OHS procedures and safety system requirements. With statutorily affected types of business operation, the training is structured to link OHS systems and operational procedures. In some cases this will require new operational procedures, or changes to existing operations.

OHS management systems provide a valuable resource for businesses. They promote good work practices, a safety-conscious work environment, and routinely increase productivity.

By: Darren Lane

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The structures of the health and safety management systems are similar to each other and contain the following elements, with the provision of development toward continual improvement with HSG 65 / BS 8800 and an integral component within OHSAS 18001:

* Policy and policy development
* Organising and an organisational development programme
* Planning and implementation arrangements
* Measuring performance arrangements
* Reviewing performance arrangements
* Auditing on a continual basis

The OHSAS 18001 guidance document virtually mirrors this model; the word planning replaces organising, implementation and operation for planning and implementation and measuring performance is referred to as checking and corrective action. BS 8800 has been based on the HSE system HSG 65 with the inclusion of an initial status review as an additional element.

Policy
Commitment to the health safety and welfare will extend to all stakeholders, i.e. employees, contractors, customers, visitors and the public at large.

The policy should:

* have, as an integral part of a management system, a hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control procedure.
* have realistic objectives in line with the organisations aims
* be committed to achieving the legal requirements, ensure that stakeholder interests are fulfilled and workplace risks are adequately contained.
* include a strategy for planned performance improvement.
* ensure that sufficient resources are available to meet the stated aims.
* include a commitment to the consultation process and encourage worker participation.
* clearly state responsibilities and ensure unequivocal communication procedures.
* ensure that all interested parties are aware of the policy procedures.
* keep abreast of new technology, processes and procedures and update the policy accordingly.
* If any changes occur, the revised policy to be communicated immediately.

Organising

Organising is where in the health and safety management system that the basis for the health and safety culture is set, this can be split into the four C’s (HSG 65):
* Control through commitment of all employees to clear health a safety responsibilities and objectives.
* Co-operation through encouraging participation and involvement of employees and their representatives in planning, writing procedures, solving problems and reviewing performance.
* Communication of information about health and safety to employees – verbal, written, visible.
* Competence of all employees through recruitment, training and advisory support to ensure that they make the maximum contribution to health and safety.

Planning and Implementation

Effective planning is the key to constructive and sustained occupational health and safety success, with the ultimate goal being to prevent injury or ill health, it is therefore on this basis, that contained within the management health and safety system are procedures in place to achieve this aim.
A risk control system will be the centre of an occupational health and safety system, promoting a proactive approach as opposed to reactive procedures.
The management safety system will contain procedures for the ongoing identification of hazards, assessing the level of risks and the implementation of control measures to reduce the risks to an acceptable level.

Measuring Performance

Monitoring is essential in order to obtain feedback on the systems and procedures that have been put into place i.e. are they effective are they being adhered to.
There are two ways in which monitoring can achieve feedback:
* Proactively – Checking on the effectiveness of the control measures, the safe systems of work and the management procedures that have been put into place.
* Reactively – Checking on systems that are part of the health and safety management system designed to record accidents the incidence of ill health and to examine absentee figures from a health and safety perspective.

Audit and performance reviews

Top management should periodically ensure the applicability, sufficiency and effectiveness of the health and safety management systems. An effective audit will examine the policy, organisation, the planning and implementation, measuring and review systems.

* Interview people
* Review and assess additional documents
* Observe physical conditions and work activities

BS 8800 which is a British Standard is not certificated, HSG 65 the system initiated by the Health and Safety Executive is not certificated whereas the guideline OHSAS 18001 is certificated. This situation does not provide for a general recognition of certification.

HSG 65 and BS 8800 do not in the present form directly account for continual improvement, unlike OHSAS 18001 which does. The former could with the integration of TQM (Total Quality Management) realize the aim. OHSAS 18801 has been specifically designed for compatibility with ISO 9001-2000 and ISO 14001 with the express purpose of achieving Integrated Management Systems.

By: Christopher Paul Jones

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In 1996 congress enacted the Health Insurance and Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA). When this came into effect, there was a major change in the way people approached patient’s treatment plans. A patient’s diagnosis or treatment plan would no longer be discussed at the table. If there would be anyone in the area without a need to need then the meeting took place behind closed doors in a conference room. We were now focusing on the patient’s privacy and protecting their health information.

HIPAA training was offered and remains to be offered to staff annually and at orientation for new employees. As the technology grew so did the demands on the information management. We would hear stories of computers being stolen that had lists of names, social security numbers and addresses leaving people open for identity theft. Once again HIPAA training was reinforced to cover not only health information but what to do to secure your computer and hard drive.

We would adjust to all the new technology as it came along and we continue to grow as technology grows. Some places are no longer able to use memory sticks in their computers. If you have access to anyone’s personal information and work in a hospital you are not allowed to use a memory stick in your computer to save information. This was mostly due to the many attempts of people hacking and breaking into the computer systems to gain names and other personal information in identity theft. Digital signatures are being used for emailing messages with HIPAA information.

Security basics come down to something of value that needs to be protected. Look at a bank; you only need a password to access information. If you were to draw out money then you would need an identification card and a pin number. There are security practices that can detect when someone has accessed valuable information. By using audit trails or alarms, the system can notify someone when another person was there within the account. This is another reason to maintain HIPAA training.

Not everyone is aware of what is private and should be protected and what is available to anyone that needs to and the most thing to determine is the difference. When you know the difference it is easier to maintain the security of the information and the computers.

by Ken Swick CIO Security Specialist

Many of us associate a career in healthcare with nobility and helping others, treating doctors, nurses and other primary patient care providers with awe and admiration. But we forget that healthcare is also a business and like any other business, it needs efficient management and administration to survive. So, who are the people working tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure the delivery of healthcare is smooth at all times? These professionals are none other than health service managers or healthcare administrators trained and qualified to plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate the delivery of healthcare.

Healthcare management is an ideal career choice for individuals who want to take advantage of the growing job opportunities in this sector, but away from direct patient care. Interested? Then read on to find out more about the different healthcare management careers.

Educational Qualifications

The first thing you need to do for a healthcare management career is to get appropriate training. A health services manager is much like a manager in any other business unit who should have strong business and management skills as well as the ability to communicate effectively. A solid academic program definitely helps you acquire some of these skills. To work your way up the corporate ladder, a Bachelor of Science in Healthcare Administration degree would be a best suit for you. However, the standard credential for more senior positions in the field is a Master’s in Healthcare Administration degree.

Career Paths

Technological advancements and complex medical regulations have made the job of a healthcare administrator both exciting as well as challenging. As described earlier, healthcare managers are involved in planning and supervising the healthcare delivery system of a facility. Depending on its size, expertise and experience levels, they could lead an entire healthcare facility or be part of a team of health service managers working under a top administrator. Their day to day activities include management of finances, personnel, operations and admissions.

Other healthcare management careers that can be considered are clinical management and health information management. Clinical managers are trained and experienced in a particular clinical area, and are responsible for taking care of that respective department in the healthcare facility. To become a clinical manager, you need to have a degree in a related field. You can supplement your education and boost your career with a Master’s in Healthcare Administration degree.

Health information managers, on the other hand, maintain patient records in a secure manner in keeping with the federal government regulations. Health information managers need to have completed an undergraduate or graduate program in health information management.

Employment Opportunities

According to 2010-11 edition of the Department of Labor’s Occupation Outlook Handbook, the employment opportunities for healthcare managers should be good, and the profession is expected to witness a “faster than average” growth through 2018. The writing on the wall is bold and clear. This is the time to enter healthcare management careers. Undeniably, it’s a choice that requires considerable investment of time, money and effort. But equally irrefutable is the fact that you will soon see your investment turn into gold. Like a wise man once said – as you sow so shall you reap!

By: Scott H C

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