Legal Health Record Policies
Mayo Clinic: Legal Medical Health Records Policy
The Legal Medical Health Records policy provides details and definitions of requirements of the content of information, which constitute the complete legal medical record of a patient. The policy requires Mayo Clinic to ensure that patient information is kept private as dictated by the federal governments. From the policy, medical health records whether electronic, oral or paper entail information created or received by mayo clinic and has a relationship with the patient payment provision of medical services or health care details. This is not only inclusive of test results and inclusive of notes from the doctors or other clinical personnel but also demographic details that are related to health records.
The Legal Medical Health Records policy requires Mayo clinic to provide the patient with notice and to act in accordance with the terms and conditions of the notice as they are stipulated. Through the policy, Mayo Clinic considers patient privacy as an integral part of its mission to ensure quality service to the needs of the patients. The policy ensures that Mayo Clinic takes necessary precaution especially in issues involved in the use or disclosure of a patient’s medical information. The policy details the responsbility of Mayo Clinic employees in relation to accessing medical information. According to the policy, the organizations’ employees can only access medical records of patients if it is a necessary in the execution of their employment opportunities. The policy also provides techniques through which employees that are in violation of the rules and policies can be subjected to sanctions, which include termination and other disciplinary measures. These sanctions are considered effective because of the existence of regulations on when patients’ medical records can be disclosed.
Comparison table
Attribute Mayo Clinic AHMC ANAHEIM REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER
Definition Defines the requirements for the component of information comprising a patient complete legal medical records Operates as a Health Information Management System servicing multitudes of purposes such as information for patient care planning, quality assessment review, legal defense ,medical research and education
Purpose Established guidelines for the maintained, content, and confidentiality of patient medical records in accordance with requirements of the federal and state governments Acts as a system of alerting medical and hospital personnel of their responsbility in maintain medical records. Gives details of using the policy together with departmental rules, consent manual, accreditation and licensure standards such as patient Bill of Rights
Content Places patient medical information to be inclusive of multiple electronic systems together with financial and other types of data related to the patient wellbeing Defines patient health records to be inclusive of individually identifiable data in any medium that is collected and is used in direct documentation of a patient’s health status or in the provision of healthcare services. It excludes administrative, derived or aggregate data
Uses Provides details on the circumstances in which employees within the organization can access a patient’s medical records. The objective is to ensure the protection of patient privacy through upholding confidentiality and integrity. Used in the clarification of access and amendment requirements in the provision of healthcare services, which provides that patients and other authorized medical personnel can access and obtain copies of protected health information with the objective of achieving health care related results Provides a record of the health status and documentation of care for reimbursements and public health purposes. Facilitates organizational decision making and education form medical service providers on the legal needs of the organization

Recommendation and rationale
Anaheim Regional Medical Center’s health information management policies and procedures is the best legal medical record policy because it embraces the policy using the information system management approach that can be integrated as part of the operating procedures of the hospital. This makes it easier for the policy to become part of the hospital’s operational culture that is internalized by employees especially in understanding the procedures involved in accessing and using patient records in the course of their activities.