The New York Times recently highlighted a phenomenon that has taken over in many U.S. hospitals and urgent care centers: the age of electronic health records and how it has replaced a lot of “human” work in these facilities. One nurse in particular expresses concern over unnecessary hospital paperwork and the damage it could be doing to patients, specifically.
Charting Versus Patient Care
One example described in the article involved nurses being evaluated based on how fast they chart versus what kind of care they provide. Specifically, the author described nurses being rated based on the percentage of medications they scanned and administered (with higher numbers of scanning correlating with higher ratings). Another example involves “fall assessments,” whereby nurses spend time calculating a patient’s risk of falling while in the hospital rather than spending that time preventing an actual fall. These assessments–which are part of the required protocol in hospitals these days–are taking the place of measures that could actually prevent falls such as conducting actual, hourly check-ins with patients.
Many healthcare professionals are concerned that all of this superfluous hospital paperwork is disconnecting the caregiver from the actual patient. This is evident in Medicare and Medicaid Services, for example, where reimbursement is often outright denied if there is just one flaw in the associated documentation.
Some Patients Die Waiting During Hospital Paperwork Processes
In fact, just charting hospice admissions takes an average of two to four hours per patient; the proof required during the process sometimes leaves patients waiting so long for admission that some have even died while waiting.
The process tied to “Medicare Advantage” has been described as one of the worst examples of the importance of documentation surpassing that of patient care; where health care reimbursements are 100 percent tied to the proper paperwork rather than actual care given to actual people. Specifically, Medicare increases the reimbursement given to insurance companies in direct correlation with “upcoding,” the process of documenting the health risks associated with very ill patients suffering from severe diagnoses (i.e. producing very detailed medical histories for them) without actually requiring that the patients be treated for their illnesses in any way (as part of that reimbursement).
What Is The Solution?
Is all this attention being given to hospital paperwork simply (intentionally) distracting us from the realities of treating actual people, and what that requires? Can we adjust our records so that they primarily serve the patient and providing that patient with appropriate medical care, while striking a balance in the amount of paperwork that’s required, such that patients aren’t placed at an increased risk of not getting the care they need because of boxes that need to be checked first?
Let Us Help You Today
Medical malpractice covers many areas and is not limited to outright, obvious mistakes, but also includes negligence of patients and the failure to provide them with the appropriate standard of care. While doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals have specific protocols that they must fulfill, this should not take away from treating the patient and providing them with the best care possible.
If you have been the victim of medical negligence, contact our Louisiana-based attorneys at Harrell & Nowak today. We will guide you through your options and ensure that your rights are protected.