Health information management : journal of the Health Information Management Association of Australia
-
The author reviews the politics, publicity, methods and findings of the Quality in Australian Health Care Study, which was released to a blaze of media attention in 1995. The study is a significant contribution to the growing literature on the identification and categorisation of preventable adverse events, using expert retrospective review of medical records, and a mix of explicit and implicit criteria. However, its potential impact has been lessened by the way its findings were released.
-
The Bennett Bill was introduced to the US Senate with the intention by its sponsors to ensure personal privacy with respect to medical records and health care-related information in the United States. The Bennett bill has been passed into legislation by the US Senate as the Medical Records Confidentiality Act of 1995.
-
In response to concerns about the number of interstate and overseas visitors using Queensland hospital services, the present study examined a sample of 1,295 hospital records to determine the proportion of patients who were incorrectly identified as Queensland residents. Across six hospitals the overall detection rate was 4.6%. Rates varied between hospitals, with the highest detection recorded for Goondiwindi near the Queensland/New South Wales border; and the lowest for Prince Charles in Brisbane. ⋯ In particular, Goondiwindi and the Gold Coast had substantially higher detection rates for the Christmas holiday period (December-January) than for the mid-year period (June-August). These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for hospital services, especially lost revenue and increased patient load. Health information managers are identified as a key group for addressing some of the current problems in this area.