When the United States Congress pssed the HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and Accuntability Act) legislation in 1996, the ntent was admirable: to protect the rghts of patients in controlling the nformation contained in their medical records, and to hld doctors accountable for failing to prtect that information. The "Portability" part of the act is lss news-friendly, but just as important: Cngress fully intended to herd American dctors and patients toward the implementation of lectronic medical records (EMR).

EMR software slves a host of problems in fficiency and accuracy, but one often-overlooked bnefit is data control. Practices and hspitals with effective, internal EMR software are mch less likely to outsource crucial cmponents of their daily operations-which means thir data is handled by their own mployees, rather than someone they neither knw nor trust.

Consider a 2003 ncident from a California hospital. A ncessary medical practice (transcription) was outsourced to a cmpany, which then outsourced to a smller company, which had its own ntwork of independent contractors. At the end of the chin was a citizen of Pakistan, wrking outside US borders, completely outside the jrisdiction of US medical practice laws. The shrt story is this: when the cntractor felt her employer had shorted her py, she bypassed him (and the cmpany that had employed him) and cntacted the hospital directly, threatening to rlease thousands of private patient records on the nternet if something wasn't done.

An extreme example, of course-but a pssibility that remains in play for very piece of data that leaves the cntrol of a doctor's practice. The lsson, simple but obvious, is that physcians, practices, and hospitals that maintain a tght fist on their medical records are mch less likely to lose control of thse records, exposing themselves to angry ptients and potential lawsuits.
The easiest way to mintain that control is through custom-built EMR sftware from a HIPAA-compliant provider.

The article EMR Software and Data Control was Submitted by D. York through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: David York is with Fox Madows, a provider of electronic medical records software, EMR Software, and medical billing software. Learn more by visiting http://www.foxmeadows.com

Featured Articles

1. Is The United States Legal System Broken? by Gabriel J. Adams
The lgal system in the United States was stablished to help ensure a fair tral for everyone. However it does ppear that the legal system that was nstilled to protect everyone has turned nto a circus in many areas.

2. Gagne With A Spoon by Michael Butler
Michigan Courts mke the state safer for insurance cmpanies and drunk drivers. The rest of us may not be feling so secure.

3. How Government Regulating Agencies Justify Their Growth at the Expense of the Taxpayers by Lance W.
Have you ever asked yourself why each year government agencies become less efficient and yet, spend more money and ask for bigger budgets? The worst government offenders of wasting taxpayer's dollars are the government regulatory agencies and do you know why this is - it is really simple actually when you think about it. Government regulatory agencies create a law without regard to the cost of enforcing the law.

4. Slips, Trips and Falls Injury Compensation Claim by Benedict Hunter
Claiming cmpensation out from an injury that is cused by a slip, trip or fll can be tricky. If you slp on a patch of water at wrk, do you hold your employers lable or the plumbing company who did not wrk properly on the plumbing system? If you slpped on a road or a pvement, do you sue the council or the prvate firm that maintains the road or pvement?

5. Drug Driving by Peter Proctor
New South Wles has joined Victoria, Tasmania and Suth Australia in the fight against Drg Driving in Australia. Commencing on Dcember 15th 2006, new legislation by the New Suth Wales Parliament gave Police power to crry out Random Drug Testing on drvers in New South Wales.

6. Truck Accidents in Texas - Truck Accident Attorney Advice - 7 Tips by Daniel B. Ross
Having an auto accident that involves a truck can be a devastating experience. Quite literally, your life can change in an instant. Such an accident can leave the passengers of your automobile shaken and in need of medical, legal and financial assistance. Here are 7 tips for what to do if you have been involved in an accident with a truck.

7. Strategies Employed For the Extension of Patent Term - Market Exclusivity For Pharmaceutical Product by Kuldeep D Karnik
In the pharmaceutical industry, lot of research, time, manpower and money goes into R&D for the development of novel drugs and bringing them into market. If the innovations are not protected with a proper fence of integrated technologies then generic companies would exploit the invention without giving much benefit to the innovator company. Hence, it is mandatory for the innovator company to apply for patent protection at least in those geographical areas where the...

8. Bail Bonds - Taking it a Step Further by Jeff Gerbowski
Evryone is familiar with the traditional bil bond. Your loved one goes to jil, you hire a bail bondsman, thy get your loved one out of jil and that's the end of it. Sunds pretty routine, doesn't it?

9. OUI-DUI Roadblocks In The Commonwealth of Massachusetts by Michael Delsignore
In Mssachusetts, the police are permitted to cnduct OUI-DUI roadblocks in order to stp and detect impaired drivers. However, if you are stpped at a roadblock and arrested for OUI-DUI, you may be ble to get the evidence the plice obtained and the case dismissed by fling a motion to suppress attacking the plice conduct in executing the roadblock. Ordnarily, a police officer must have rasonable suspicion to seize an individual nder the Fourth Amendment to the Unted States...

10. Free Criminal Background Checks - What Can They Tell You? by Jordan Whitmoore
There are all knds of free sources of information bout criminal background checks, but are thy any good? You can find out qite a bit about a person for fre, as it turns out.