Electronic medical records: Is your information safe?

The federal government is pushing healthcare providers to make the switch to electronic medical records (EMRs) and electronic health records (EHRs), pledging billions of dollars in stimulus funds to help cover the costs of installing the systems.

To encourage early adoption, starting in 2015, hospitals and doctors that are not using these systems will be penalized in the form of decreased Medicare payments. However, these revolutionary systems have left patients with questions about the safety of their personal and health information.

Over the fall, Bluemanta Technology Group and Weems Memorial Hospital administrators implemented a new EMR system at Weems Medical Center East in Carrabelle. “Before the system was installed the only obstacles keeping unauthorized people from medical record information were the hospital security system and a key to medical file room,” said Bobbie Turrell, director of medical records for Weems Hospital and Clinic.

According to Kimberly Needham, project manager of Bluemanta Technology Group, patients have little to worry about with today’s systems. “As with anything involving the storage or transmission of sensitive information, there is risk; however, when you consider the true goal of these systems and the impact they will have down the road, the benefit exponentially outweighs the risk,” she said. As a company certified in implementing electronic health records, as well as auditing for compliance with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), we take health information security very seriously,” Needham said.

According to Kevin Ward, systems manager for Bluemanta Technology Group, the EMR implementation at Weems Medical Center East in Carrabelle has been a huge success.

 “EMR/EHR implementations have been going on for some time, but there are still a lot of people out there with questions and concerns. These systems feature cutting-edge data encryption and other state-of-the-art security mechanisms, but the controls have to be monitored. We got your back,” said Ward.

“EMR/EHR initiatives are not just about improving operational efficiency and cost savings; much more importantly, these systems will advance our nation’s ability to measure outcomes and make better decisions at the highest levels to improve overall health,” said Kim Davis, chief financial officer of Weems Memorial Hospital. “Providing clinicians real-time access to accurate, up-to-date patient information, and the capabilities to instantly and securely exchange information with peers they would not otherwise have access to, will save lives.

“Weems Memorial Hospital is very fortunate to have a talented workforce and supportive board of directors, all committed to the painstaking work necessary to continue improving healthcare in Franklin County and beyond,” she said.

In August 2010, Davis and Bluemanta Technology Group attended health information technology and electronic health record implementation training in Philadelphia. The training was funded through the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) grant and facilitated by Florida’s Great Northwest and the Gulf Coast Workforce Board. Weems Memorial Hospital is currently in the due diligence and vendor selection phases of the EHR implementation process for the main hospital.