Healthcare Information Systems Flashcards

Which federal law primarily governs the privacy and security of electronic protected health information (ePHI) in the United States?

Answer: HIPAA

HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) establishes national standards for protecting PHI, including ePHI.

In an EHR system, a 'problem list' is best described as:

Answer: An ongoing record of a patient's active and inactive diagnoses

A problem list is a core EHR component that tracks a patient's active, inactive, and resolved health conditions over time.

What does the term 'interoperability' mean in the context of healthcare IT?

Answer: The capacity of different systems to exchange and use health information

Interoperability refers to the ability of different HIS platforms to share, interpret, and use electronic health data seamlessly.

A medical practice wants to submit claims electronically to payers. Which standard transaction format is required under HIPAA?

Answer: X12 837

The X12 837 transaction set is the HIPAA-mandated standard for submitting electronic healthcare claims to insurance payers.

Which of the following best describes a 'health information exchange' (HIE)?

Answer: An organization that enables sharing of patient health information across facilities

An HIE is an organization or platform that facilitates the electronic sharing of clinical data among healthcare providers, payers, and patients.

Which cybersecurity practice involves giving users only the minimum system access necessary to perform their job duties?

Answer: Least privilege principle

The least privilege principle restricts user access rights to only what is strictly required for their role, reducing security risk.

When implementing a new EHR system, which strategy involves running the old and new systems simultaneously for a period to ensure reliability?

Answer: Parallel conversion

Parallel conversion runs both the legacy and new systems concurrently, allowing comparison and reducing risk during the transition period.