Cedar Bend Record Policy

Task 3
Task 3
a)
Healthcare information is pivotal to ensuring that the patient gets the most meticulous medical care, thus the need for solutions to handle such challenges in case they emerge. The need for more considerable infrastructure challenges would entail building a more scalable and flexible IT infrastructure to match the increasing data demand. Considering its benefits, the need for a bigger infrastructure can be handled by implementing cloud storage into the IT infrastructure.
Paper health records refer to patient data and information that is recorded, maintained, and stored in hard copy. In this system, all health records will be printed and stored in physical files. However, electronic health records can be described as a systemized electronic collection of patient data that is stored in digital formats (Dimick, 2008). Examples of electronic records include document imaging, cloud-based document management systems, and server-based document management systems. A hybrid records management system, on the other hand, incorporates both hard copy records and electronic records (Haugen, Tegen, & Warner, 2011). In a hybrid records management system, both paper and digital formats are used to store patient files and records (Dimick, 2008). Therefore, in a hybrid system, some files can be kept in paper while others can be scanned and stored electronically.
i)
Hybrid health records are associated with various challenges. Having multiple outlets of data management can create avenues for a data breach. However, the most prominent challenge for hybrid health records is the legal issues involved. First, there is the challenge of litigation. In most instances, attorneys would request medical files when dealing with a case involving a patient. Some of the records may date back to several years (Haugen, Tegen, & Warner, 2011). In this situation, it can be difficult to convince attorneys why some records are in hard copy while others are electronic (Dimick, 2008). Therefore, there will most likely be challenges of admissibility when trying to use hybrid records in courts of law. There are also issues with compliance. When there are discrepancies between electronic and physical records, it is difficult to determine which of the two should be used for compliance purposes in line with existing regulations for managing patient data (Haugen, Tegen, & Warner, 2011).
b) i)
Despite being so elaborate and comprehensive in addressing health document management, the Cedar Bend Record Policy would not comply with the laws and regulations in Kansas State. As elucidated in the policy, the process of converting paper records within 24hours of a patient's discharge is very commendable. The patient's electronic records are fed into the Apex Patient Folder (APF) system, which requires minimal human intervention. The digital records are then integrated and stored permanently. The norms and regulations in Kansas provide different recommendations for managing patent data. For instance, The Kansas Hospital Association Record Retention Guide is silent on whether paper records must be converted to electronic data and whether such records must be stored permanently in computers. According to the Kansas Hospital Association Record Retention Guide, “The general rule for medical record retention is ten (10) years or, if the patient is a minor, not less than one (1) year after the patient reaches the age of majority, whichever is longer (Kansas Hospital Association, 2017)." This policy regulation varies from the Cedar Bend Policy when it comes to the duration of storing patient data after discharge; while the policy provides for permanent storage, the regulation requires the data to be maintained for a specified period.
Furthermore, the Cedar Bend Policy recommends keeping patient's diagnostic images for five years. The policy also requires disease index health information to be stored for ten years. However, the regulations in Kansas requir...