Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/41583
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + + +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ PRACTICE MANAGEMENT +++ +++ LAWSUITS Preventing EHR ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS (EHRs) ARE A VALUABLE PART OF ANY MEDICAL PRACTICE, AS THEY CAN HELP TO ENHANCE THE EFFICIENCY AND QUALITY OF AVAILABLE SERVICES. HOWEVER, EHRs ALSO TRACK EACH AMENDMENT TO A PATIENT'S CHART, AS WELL AS ALLOWS OTHERS WITH ACCESS TO THE EHR TO VIEW WHEN AND IF DIAGNOSTIC TEST RESULTS AND OTHER PERTINENT INFORMATION HAVE BEEN VIEWED, LEAVING PHYSICIANS MORE VULNERABLE IN THE EVENT OF A MALPRACTICE LAWSUIT. A LL EHR SYSTEMS have an audit trail function, which keeps track of the date and time of all activities performed on the EHR, including que- ries searched and updates made to medical charts. While this can be benefi cial if physicians need to reference the time they signed off on a chart or fi nished a dic- tation, it can also create a timeline that can be used against the physician should a malpractice lawsuit be filed. For example, if a physician treats a patient and months or weeks later realizes he left pertinent information off of the patient's chart and signs on to add additional information, the date and time of the amendment will be logged on the audit trail. If a malpractice lawyer accesses the patient's records later as part of a malpractice investigation, he or she could use the timeline of charting events against the physician in court. Protecting Yourself from Malpractice Litigation To reduce your risk of losing a mal- practice lawsuit due to EHRs, consider the following tips. + Schedule additional time to become familiar with your practice's EHRs system. Many times, EHRs open physicians up to potential malpractice suits because of errors that occur from EHR misuse, such as utilizing the wrong template when documenting a patient's symptoms. Before implement- ing EHRs as the main method of charting, physicians must be familiar with the technology to prevent errors in documentation. + Adapt to changes in standards of care. Don't let fear of litigation prevent you from implementing EHRs in your medical practice. As more physicians adopt EHR and meaningful use requirements begin to take effect, physicians who choose not to adopt EHRs could face more than decreases in Medicare and Medicaid reimburse- ment. Because EHRs can help to improve care — helping to reduce the chances for drug reactions, for example — and are quickly becoming standard of care, you could be held liable if you do not implement EHRs. + Explain inconsistencies in documen- tation. If you forget to add a detail to a patient's record, it is acceptable to log on at a later date to add the informa- tion. However, you should include a reason for the inconsistency. Simply explaining that you forgot to include a detail is suffi cient and ensures that it won't look like you have something to hide. n