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Nitin Chhoda Shares New Insights in His Latest Blog Post on How an EMR Ensures Patient Privacy and Maintaining HIPAA ComplianceDenville, NJ, Jan 28, 2013 (PRWeb.com via COMTEX) -- According to Nitin Chhoda's latest blog post, "An EMR is the newest essential tool for remaining HIPAA compliant. The integrated systems have extensive functionalities and one of the greatest is the ability to maintain patient privacy and warn if a breach occurs within the network of facilities to which a therapist is connected." Chhoda, a physical therapist and international practice marketing expert, recently said medical providers, especially in today's business, should closely scrutinize any EMR before they purchase. The optimum and latest EMR should be a web-based system that can be employed on tablet technology. Information should be maintained in the cloud to prevent loss or corruption from natural disasters, fires, floods and more mundane threats such as theft. The safeguards contained within an EMR helps therapists avoid incurring harsh fines, along with criminal and civil penalties for failure to remain HIPAA compliant, which is very time and money consuming these days. He added that EMRs allow physical therapists to consult instantly and easily with other medical professionals and communicate with an extensive array of facilities ranging from hospitals to pharmacies. If security is broken, an EMR has the ability to notify others within the network immediately, allowing each provider to take appropriate precautions. HIPAA standards prevent the dissemination of any personally identifiable information about a patient, but Chhoda said there are exceptions with which clinicians should be familiar. Practitioners, according to the standard, can divulge information if a state of emergency is declared by the president or a public health emergency exists. Clients can also receive copies of their own medical records if a request is made in writing, as can parents and legal guardians of minors. "Regulations are more relaxed when dealing with unidentifiable information. Such data can be disclosed for use in research, when compiling public health statistics, and in a clinic's marketing endeavors," Chhoda said. In specific circumstances, information can be released to prevent payment abuse and fraud, in the regulation of controlled substances and when reporting on state healthcare costs. Even so, clinicians should tread lightly and be aware that HIPAA law supersedes state regulations. An integrated and newest EMR contains essential 21st century tools and safeguards to protect patient privacy and maintain HIPAA compliance. Chhoda's new insights demonstrate the many abilities available with an EMR to protect patient information from fraud and identify theft. Even innocent mistakes can cost a practice millions in fines and penalties, and an EMR's early warning system automatically and immediately notifies practitioners if information has been compromised to ensure safety throughout a practice. Chhoda's office can be reached by phone at 201-535-4475. For more information, visit the website at http://www.emrnews.com. ABOUT NITIN CHHODA Nitin Chhoda PT, DPT is a licensed physical therapist, a certified strength and conditioning specialist and an entrepreneur. He is the author of "Physical Therapy Marketing For The New Economy" and "Marketing for Physical Therapy Clinics" and is a prolific speaker, writer and creator of products and systems to streamline medical billing and coding, electronic medical records, health care practice management and marketing to increase referrals. He has been featured in numerous industry magazines, major radio and broadcast media, and is the founder of Referral Ignition training systems and the annual Private Practice Summit. Chhoda speaks extensively throughout the U.S., Canada and Asia. He is also the creator of the Therapy Newsletter and Clinical Contact, both web-based services to help private practices improve communication with patients, delivery better quality of care and boost patient retention. Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/EMR/HIPAA-compliance/prweb10324020.htm PRWeb.com |