EHR Clinical Workflow & Data Management 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal program established requirements for 'meaningful use' of certified EHR technology in the US?
- The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act (Correct answer)
- The Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA)
- The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA)
- The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Controlled Substance Act
Correct answer: The Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act
HITECH (2009) created the Meaningful Use incentive program, now called the Promoting Interoperability Program, to drive adoption and effective use of certified EHR systems.
Question 2: A radiology department uses DICOM for imaging data. How should EHR systems ideally handle DICOM data?
- Convert all DICOM files to JPEG before storing them in the EHR
- Integrate with a PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) that links imaging studies to the patient's EHR record (Correct answer)
- Store DICOM files as email attachments in the patient record
- Print all images and scan them as PDF files into the EHR
Correct answer: Integrate with a PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) that links imaging studies to the patient's EHR record
A PACS-EHR integration allows clinicians to view diagnostic images in context within the patient record without lossy format conversion.
Question 3: What is a 'shared care plan' in an EHR context?
- A financial plan shared between a patient and their insurance provider
- A collaborative document accessible to the patient and all members of their care team that outlines goals, tasks, and responsibilities (Correct answer)
- A template shared between two competing hospitals for data standardization
- A schedule shared among nursing staff for shift coverage
Correct answer: A collaborative document accessible to the patient and all members of their care team that outlines goals, tasks, and responsibilities
A shared care plan coordinates multi-disciplinary and patient-engaged care by making goals, interventions, and responsibilities transparent to everyone involved.
Question 4: What does 'patient matching' refer to in health information exchange (HIE)?
- Matching patients to available appointment slots in a scheduling module
- The process of accurately identifying that records from different systems belong to the same individual (Correct answer)
- Pairing patients with compatible organ donors
- Assigning patients to specific insurance networks
Correct answer: The process of accurately identifying that records from different systems belong to the same individual
Patient matching algorithms compare demographic data across systems to correctly link records belonging to the same person, preventing dangerous data fragmentation or mix-ups.
Question 5: Which type of EHR report would a quality improvement team use to identify patients overdue for colorectal cancer screening?
- A financial aging report filtered by payer type
- A population health registry query filtering patients by age, diagnosis history, and screening status (Correct answer)
- An appointment no-show report for the past 30 days
- A staff productivity report showing note completion rates
Correct answer: A population health registry query filtering patients by age, diagnosis history, and screening status
Population health registry queries enable proactive outreach by identifying patients meeting specific criteria who have not received recommended preventive services.
Question 6: What is the purpose of an 'encounter summary' generated at the end of a patient visit?
- To send a claim to the insurance company for reimbursement
- To provide the patient with a written record of the visit, including diagnoses, instructions, and follow-up plans (Correct answer)
- To notify public health authorities of reportable diseases
- To document the provider's time for payroll calculation
Correct answer: To provide the patient with a written record of the visit, including diagnoses, instructions, and follow-up plans
An encounter summary (also called an after-visit summary) improves patient engagement and continuity of care by giving patients clear documentation of what occurred and what to do next.
Question 7: In EHR auditing, what does reviewing the 'audit log' allow an organization to determine?
- Which laboratory values are outside normal range for a given patient
- Who accessed a patient's record, when, and what actions were performed (Correct answer)
- How many patients were seen in a given department last month
- Which providers have incomplete continuing education credits
Correct answer: Who accessed a patient's record, when, and what actions were performed
Audit logs record every access and action on patient records, enabling organizations to detect unauthorized access, investigate breaches, and demonstrate HIPAA compliance.
EHR Clinical Workflow & Data Management 5
Which federal program established requirements for 'meaningful use' of certified EHR technology in the US?