How to Fix Inaccuracies in Medical Information
Medical coding and medical information inaccuracies from data entry or patient provided information has led to many needless deaths. About 44,000 to 98,000 hospital deaths were reported by the Institute of Medicines (IOM) in their 1999 study, making medical errors the eighth leading cause of death in the US, beating out motor vehicle fatalities. By law, health care facilities are supposed to keep accurate data for auditing purposes, insurance claims, medical claims and legal liabilities. Correcting any inaccuracies remains at the top of the list to avoid fatalities, malpractice suits and various legal liabilities.
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Instructions
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Get a copy of your medical records from any hospital, testing facility or any other clinic you visited. This can be either a paper copy or a download if your health provider has your medical information available on line through their advanced electronic medical records system. Also, make sure your records with the Medical Information Bureau (MIB) get a clean bill of health, as this information is given to health and life insurers and other parties whom take interest in your health and credit information.
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Review your health providers' notes pertaining to visits and results from tests or procedures. Be sure insurance billings and codes match up correctly to the services rendered by your health providers. Also check to see if your identification information is up to date.
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Call your health care provider and determine if an amendment form is required for fixing errors and request it if needed. After making a copy of your records, highlight and mark with red pen any inaccuracies. Submit the amendment with the copy of the inaccuracies to your provider.
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If an amendment form is not necessary, consult with the person who made the error and have them fix it immediately. They will authenticate and date the information. While inaccurate information may stay on file, it will be overridden with the newly corrected information. Pre and post change data is necessary when it comes to audits by computer medical software (for accountability purposes).
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Document the person you worked with to make the corrections. Include the date and time you spoke with her and attach the note to your copy of the inaccurate records for future reference.
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Fax a copy of your inaccurate records to your provider if necessary and record the date and time of the fax. Confirm that the information was received and document that person's name and time for your records.
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Contact your insurance company if inaccuracies were relevant to your medical insurance. Have your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) and medical file with you when making the call.
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Tips & Warnings
Here are some tips from the AHRQ to better ensure your health care: ask your doctor questions and be sure you fully understand the answers; list all of your prescribed and non-prescribed medications and give it to your doctor doctor or pharmacist; get the results from all test/procedures; have the conversation with your doctor about what type of hospital would best suit your needs; and lastly, understand all the implications from partaking in surgery should it be advised by your doctor.
If you send in an amendment, your provider is required to respond within 60 days, possibly extending it by another 30 if notifying you by writing. If your requests have not been met, submit a letter of disagreement. This will have to be posted to your file. If your provider feels in earnest that you are not mentally stable to handle the medical information on file, they may deny your request to get a copy of your medical records.
References
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