By Evan Sweeney - Fiercehealtcare.com
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.