On Monday, a health IT expert warned that electronic health record systems are not error-proof and that inaccurate data can be shared, Modern Healthcare reports.
Laura Roberts -- director of corporate compliance for Catholic Health East -- issued the warning during the annual Fraud and Compliance Forum hosted by the American Health Lawyers Association and the Health Care Compliance Association.
Roberts' Warning
During the meeting, which took place in Baltimore, Roberts said, "We have an ingrained belief that a patient medical record is always accurate." However, she added, "Just as easily as you can capture accurate data, you can capture inaccurate data."
According to Roberts, inaccurate data can creep into EHR systems through the use of "cloned" records, in which a patient's medical information or history is pasted into new records.
Recommendations
Roberts recommended that health care providers address potential errors in EHR data by:
- Listening to patients when they report that they never received certain medical services that are documented in their EHR; and
- Auditing EHRs regularly to identify clinical errors (Carlson, Modern Healthcare, 10/2).