With the transition to EHR's, Health IT systems hold the key to defending and prosecuting malpractice claims.
This article is shared with you by Rieback Medical Legal Consultants
By Evan Sweeney - Fiercehealtcare.com
By Evan Sweeney - Fiercehealtcare.com
EHRs provide medical malpractice attorneys with a glut of information to both defend and prosecute medical malpractice cases—but only if they know where to look.
Healthcare systems are required to keep detailed audit logs that track when a patient’s medical record was accessed, by whom and what information was entered or changed. That data can be used by attorneys to better understand why a specific medical error occurred and whether a physician was at fault, wrote Jonathan H. Lomurro, an attorney at LomurroLaw in Freehold, New Jersey, in The Legal Intelligencer.
EHR audit logs aren’t the only source of information. A broad understanding of the provider’s entire IT system can provide additional clues. Pathologists and radiologists, for example, may access the EHR through a software portal. Lomurro added that depositions from IT personnel can be “invaluable assets in litigation” to help explain the unique intricacies of a medical record system.
Healthcare systems are required to keep detailed audit logs that track when a patient’s medical record was accessed, by whom and what information was entered or changed. That data can be used by attorneys to better understand why a specific medical error occurred and whether a physician was at fault, wrote Jonathan H. Lomurro, an attorney at LomurroLaw in Freehold, New Jersey, in The Legal Intelligencer.
EHR audit logs aren’t the only source of information. A broad understanding of the provider’s entire IT system can provide additional clues. Pathologists and radiologists, for example, may access the EHR through a software portal. Lomurro added that depositions from IT personnel can be “invaluable assets in litigation” to help explain the unique intricacies of a medical record system.
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