Electronic Health Records (EHR) systems play a pivotal role within the healthcare field. They enable providers to effectively monitor and evaluate a patient’s medical care, and they facilitate access to patient data for healthcare facilities and insurance providers who need to address patient finances and workflows associated with their care.
When failures in EHR system management threaten compliance with HIPAA and other regulations that protect patient data, healthcare EHR systems become vulnerable to cybersecurity threats, which can greatly disrupt the provision of care. Understanding how to optimize EHR systems while meeting compliance requirements is key to protecting patient information and improving the delivery of care.
Understanding EHR Systems
So, what are EHR systems in healthcare? Electronic Health Record systems are digital versions of a patient’s medical history and treatment within an organization. These systems can include details about patient demographics, appointment history, diagnoses, and lab results. They can be used by one organization or can integrate patient data from multiple institutions.
Healthcare EHR systems help organizations maintain compliance by securely storing large volumes of protected health information (PHI). They facilitate care delivery by enabling providers to evaluate a comprehensive patient history in one location and by allowing the secure transfer of patient data to other departments and institutions. Organizations can also leverage EHR systems to provide patients with access to their healthcare information.
Importance of Compliance in Healthcare
One of the most significant concerns healthcare organizations face is the potential for security breaches related to electronic health record (EHR) systems. Not only can security breaches disrupt an organization’s ability to provide care, but they can also create legal issues if the organization violates HIPAA or other relevant regulations.
HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) outlines a set of standards that those requesting and handling protected healthcare information (PHI) should adhere to, including healthcare organizations and health insurance providers. HIPAA regulations apply to the transfer, receipt, sharing, and handling of paper, oral, and electronic protected health information (PHI).
Organizations found to be in violation of HIPAA regulations may face severe civil monetary penalties of up to $1.5 million for each instance of noncompliance. One of the most frequent complaints received by the US Department of Health and Human Services involves a lack of administrative safeguards for electronic PHI.
Not only does failure to comply with HIPAA and regulations under the act lead to financial loss, but it can also expose organizations to lawsuits from patients and reputational damage that can affect their long-term success.
Common Pitfalls in EHR Optimization
Optimizing EHR systems is crucial for healthcare organizations to avoid common pitfalls that can compromise system functionality, disrupt access to patient healthcare information, and result in the inefficient use of patient data.
Insufficient Training and Support
Failure to adequately train and support an organization’s staff and providers in handling patient records through EHR systems undermines the goal of patient record protection. Lacunas in training can arise when a healthcare organization transitions from a legacy EHR system to a modern system or when updates are implemented into older systems.
Insufficient training can pose a significant threat to the provision of patient care, not only due to potential data exposures but also failures in correctly entering and storing patient data within the system.
Poor Data Management Practices
Poor data management practices can place healthcare organizations in a regulatory chokehold. HIPAA requires those with access to PHI to maintain high data quality, and failure to comply with these guidelines can compromise the trust of patients and stakeholders in the organization.
Insufficient training, inconsistent workflows, and limited validation tools can render EHR inefficient, heavily impacting the quality of healthcare recommendations from providers as a result of faulty information.
Failure To Regularly Update Systems
As technology evolves, so do healthcare EHR systems. Despite the critical role of EHR systems and the increasing advances in data storage, transfer, and management, many healthcare organizations fail to update their EHR systems to optimize them. This means organizations miss the opportunity to enhance efficiency and the use of healthcare data.
Failing to encrypt files to facilitate the safe transfer of data, failing to integrate multiple systems, including healthcare records and billing, and relying on human verification of large volumes of data can expose healthcare organizations to compliance violations if software and hardware advancements are not regularly integrated into their legacy systems.
Lack of Proper Security Measures
Healthcare organizations can be significantly impacted by cybersecurity threats, such as data breaches, hacking incidents, and ransomware attacks. These threats can expose sensitive patient information and, in certain cases, render providers unable to provide life-saving care when data is stolen or held for ransom through these attacks.
Implementing cybersecurity measures, such as utilizing cloud computing for EHR, can mitigate the impact of malicious data breaches on clinical services. Cybersecurity can also prevent healthcare organizations from violating HIPAA regulations and incurring significant financial losses.
Ignoring Patient Access Rights
Patients have the right to access their healthcare information and request corrections to these records under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Failing to provide patients with adequate access to their PHI can result in compliance violations. This can include failing to provide patients with a means to access their records via a patient portal that offers strong privacy protections.
Tech Solutions for Optimizing EHR Systems
When healthcare EHR systems are optimized, they can enhance access to patient data, making it more efficient and secure. The following technical and organizational solutions can be implemented by healthcare organizations to achieve this goal.
Comprehensive Training Programs
Electronic health records are not only accessible to medical providers, but they may also be available to administrative staff who assist in delivering patient care. Insecure handling of electronic records by an organization’s staff can pose a significant security threat. It is also one of the easiest blind spots to address with proper management of EHR systems.
Organizations must provide all staff with direct access to patient data through an EHR system with in-depth training on EHR security compliance when they first join the company. Similarly, ensuring they receive ongoing training, especially when updates are implemented, can help close some gaps in the security vulnerabilities of EHR systems. Training should include information on how often passwords should be changed in the EHR system and other ways to safeguard patient data.
EHR system vendors may have training materials readily available, including simulation tools for hands-on learning, which make it easier for staff to understand adequate handling of records. An organization may also develop its own training.
Advanced Data Analytics and Management Tools
If your healthcare organization has a modern EHR system, you can take advantage of data analytics and management tools that are more and more ubiquitous in newer systems.
For example, through AI-driven data validation, providers can evaluate patient records with greater precision and efficiency, and they may receive suggestions for patient healthcare needs.
This technology can also help identify and correct inconsistencies in patient data resulting from manual entry errors.
Custom dashboards for real-time data quality monitoring provide a visual representation of data through integrated metrics, offering up-to-the-minute information that enables providers and healthcare organizations to make informed decisions about patient care while maintaining compliance.
These tools, whether they are already part of your EHR system or can be implemented within your legacy system, can reduce the need to access larger portions of a patient’s record, saving time and reducing security risks.
Regular Software Upgrades and Maintenance
Ensuring that an organization’s EHR system is regularly upgraded and maintained is a key step in optimizing these systems for patient management and regulatory compliance.
Ensure that you speak with your EHR vendor and coordinate a timeline for implementing regular upgrades and maintenance, particularly those related to security, within the EHR system. Additionally, you may consider utilizing EHR cloud computing systems to streamline updates on a regular basis.
You may also inquire about the possibility of integrating access to interrelated records within a single EHR system, such as consultation notes, lab results, and billing.
Enhanced Security Protocols
Legacy EHR systems are most vulnerable due to outdated security measures.
Ensuring compliance with health regulations in the management of patient data may require your organization to upgrade older cybersecurity measures and implement new measures that can address newer cybersecurity threats.
- Encryption – Cybersecurity measures can include encryption, a protocol that is particularly important when transferring patient records to another organization.
- Multi-factor Authentication – Multi-factor authentication can prevent those who have stolen passwords from easily accessing patient data.
- Audits and Assessments — Maintaining regular security audits and assessments of a legacy EHR system or even a modern EHR system can help identify areas where enhanced security protocols may be needed.
- Online Verification – Many EHR programs assist with online verification, making the process easier for both staff and providers to adhere to security protocols.
These are important steps your healthcare organization can take to ensure that your EHR system is secure and that handling patient data through the EHR system aligns with HIPAA compliance best practices. It may also be helpful to evaluate your current system and workflows to determine whether there are specific security leaks that need to be addressed immediately.
Tools for Patient Engagement and Access
Organizations that already work with modern EHR systems and have implemented a schedule for regular updates, security checks, and training can further optimize EHR systems by adding tools for patient engagement and access.
Adding patient portals can significantly facilitate communication between patients and providers. They are also a way for organizations to adhere to HIPAA guidelines related to patient access rights.
EHR systems must have well-designed and well-organized interfaces to enable patients from diverse backgrounds and with varying abilities to understand how to use these portals and navigate their data.
Maintaining Secure and Optimized Healthcare EHR Systems Is Essential
The future of patient healthcare management will rely heavily on EHR systems. Optimizing systems can facilitate the delivery of care, resolve billing issues, and empower patients to be active participants in managing their healthcare.
More than ever, healthcare organizations must ensure that their EHR systems are optimized for care delivery and regulatory compliance. This may involve increasing training and scheduling regular updates and systems maintenance. It may also mean investing in upgrading their existing EHR system to integrate modern security protocols and AI-driven data analytics and management tools.
Healthcare IT Service Management (ITSM) can help your organization address its EHR system security needs. Our expert cybersecurity team can help your organization implement a targeted strategy to address vulnerabilities in the handling of patient healthcare information (PHI). You can count on tailored solutions and ongoing support that fit your organization’s budget.
Learn more about our healthcare cybersecurity services when you schedule a consultation or give us a call today at 520-201-2330.
Sources:
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- California Department of Health Care Services. (n.d.). What is HIPAA? https://www.dhcs.ca.gov/formsandpubs/laws/hipaa/Pages/1.00WhatisHIPAA.aspx
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Enforcement highlights. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/compliance-enforcement/data/enforcement-highlights/index.html
- Keesara, S., Jonas, A., & Schulman, K. (2020). Covid-19 and health care’s digital revolution. The New England Journal of Medicine, 382(23), e82. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7657707/
- World Health Expo. (n.d.). Top 3 electronic health record implementation risks and how to manage them. https://www.worldhealthexpo.com/insights/medical-technology/top-3-electronic-health-record-implementation-risks-and-how-to-manage-them
- Adepoju, I. O., Albersen, B. J., De Brouwere, V., van Roosmalen, J., & Zweekhorst, M. (2022). Electronic health records implementation in low- and middle-income countries: Benefits and challenges. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 9647912. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9647912/
- HIPAA Journal. (n.d.). Healthcare data breach statistics. https://www.hipaajournal.com/healthcare-data-breach-statistics/
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Right of access and research. https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/faq/right-to-access-and-research/index.html
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