The AHIMA Data Integrity, Essay Example

Data integrity is an important aspect of security and accuracy in health care. In a recent article, Bailey-Woods, Hall, Halpert, Kotyk, Neal, Stewart & Torzewski (2012) examines the role of health information exchanges (HIE) in data security and integrity. The main findings and recommendations of the report created by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) will be detailed below.

HIE models and methods. According to Bailey-Woods et al. (2012), in America, there are three main HIE models: centralized, federated and hybrid. All of the above models share information between various systems, however, in the federated model the data source organization has custodial control over medical records, while the control is shared in the centralized model. The role of a health information manager (HIM) involves ensuring that date integrity is preserved through the system and appropriate guidelines are created as a result of a collaboration between different departments  (i.e. legal, IT, comlpliance).

Data security in HIE. The role of the HIM within a HIE is to ensure that guidelines are set on how the information of patients is maintained, corrected and updated when new information is sent to the system. Processes also need to be put in place to ensure correct patient identification, and human reviews need to be carried out alongside with sampling in order to maintain data integrity within the HIE. Further, accessibility rules and policies need to be created in order to ensure that the correct information is sent for the requester and displayed for the third party.

Secure data transfer. In order to comply with data security guidelines, Bailey-Woods et al. (2012) recommends the use of the following guidelines in HIE-s: mutual node authentication, transmission integrity and transmission confidentiality.

Data stewardship framework.  Within the health information exchange system, responsibilities for security and integrity need to be set by principles, guidelines and frameworks. This also promotes accountability. The framework recommended by Bailey-Woods et al. (2012) includes policies and guidelines related to individual access, corrections, openness and transparency, individual choice guidelines, limitation of use, collection and disclosure, quality and integrity of data collected, stored and shared, safeguards and accountability.

Recommendations for local health information executives. As a summary, heath information exchange systems’ integrity is extremely important, therefore, an adequate framework needs to be created in order to ensure that the organization complies with HIPAA, as well as agency guidelines. The role of a local health information manager is crucial in creating these guidelines. Their ability to negotiate with different departments within the organization, retrieve data, comply with regulations and compliance documents is a safeguard of information integrity. However, their role to create a data stewardship program that emphasizes personal accountability and responsibility. As Bailey-Woods et al. (2012, p. 9) put it: “Data stewardship is everyone’s responsibility. This is a particularly sensitive issue in healthcare today because there is no federal law establishing precise ownership rights or responsibilities.” Creating a culture where people take responsibility and ensure that they are aware of the related guidelines, policies created by the leadership. Personal decisions about data integrity can have a great impact on the quality and security of patient information. Risks associated with sharing patient data can be reduced or eliminated through promoting stewardship within the organization. Poor data quality can not only cause reputation loss, but also result in medical errors, wrong medication, increased cost of administration and other adverse incidents in the health information systems within local health organizations.

References

Bailey-Woods, L., Hall, T.,  Halpert, A.,  Kotyk, S.,  Neal, S., Stewart, L. & Torzewski, S. (2012) Ensuring data integrity in health information exchange. AHIMA. Retrieved from: <http://library.ahima.org/xpedio/groups/public/documents/ahima/bok1_049675.pdf>