Healthcare Information Systems Flashcards

A clinical decision support (CDS) system alerts a physician when a prescribed medication may cause a harmful interaction with a current medication. This is an example of:

Answer: Drug-drug interaction checking

Drug-drug interaction checking is a key CDS function that identifies potentially harmful combinations of medications at the point of prescribing.

Under the HIPAA Security Rule, which category addresses policies and procedures to manage the selection and implementation of security measures?

Answer: Administrative safeguards

Administrative safeguards under HIPAA include policies, procedures, and training programs that manage workforce conduct and security program implementation.

Which data standard is used to represent clinical concepts such as diagnoses, procedures, and observations in a machine-readable format?

Answer: SNOMED CT

SNOMED CT (Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine–Clinical Terms) is a comprehensive clinical terminology used to encode clinical concepts for interoperability.

A practice manager notices that patient appointment data was inadvertently disclosed to a third-party vendor without a signed Business Associate Agreement (BAA). Under HIPAA, this constitutes a:

Answer: Breach requiring notification under the Breach Notification Rule

Disclosing PHI to a vendor without a BAA is an unauthorized disclosure that triggers HIPAA's Breach Notification Rule obligations.

Which of the following is a key advantage of a cloud-based EHR system compared to an on-premise system?

Answer: Lower upfront capital investment

Cloud-based EHRs typically use a subscription model (SaaS) which reduces large upfront infrastructure costs compared to on-premise deployments.

In healthcare IT, 'data governance' refers to:

Answer: Policies and standards ensuring data quality, consistency, and accountability

Data governance encompasses the policies, roles, and standards an organization uses to manage the availability, integrity, and security of its data assets.

Which metric is commonly used to evaluate the effectiveness of a practice management system's billing module?

Answer: Days in accounts receivable (A/R days)

Days in A/R measures the average number of days it takes to collect payment after a service is rendered, directly reflecting billing system effectiveness.