Secondary Data Sources in Healthcare Facilities

Instructions

ASSIGNMENT: Secondary Data Sources

Preparation: Read the Processing and Maintenance of Secondary Databases section of Chapter 6 in the Oachs and Watters text. (Page 191-193 in the 5th edition)

While the reading focuses on data from patient health records being abstracted or moving electronically into secondary data source systems, more and more we are having to consider data from secondary data sources being used to add to the primary health record. Examples:

1. A patient brings in their personal health record that contains health information from 2 other primary care providers at local clinics. They want this information added to their health record at your hospital.

2. Inbound HIE data from an earlier encounter from an unrelated provider is electronically received for a patient's health records

3. Inbound data from the patient portal is received many times a day as patients update their demographic or insurance information on the patient portal

4. Data is received from smart devices such as ambulatory heart monitors or insulin monitors and is downloaded into patient records

It would be inefficient for all of this inpatient data to be manually checked for validity. Please describe in 2-3 paragraphs (400-500 words) how a healthcare organization could assure that this incoming data is valid and accurate. Be sure to specifically address how systems would be set up, as well as standards and policies that would need to be set.