Answer for question 1:
Important functions of health information management
Maintain a manual of approved medical record policies, procedures, abbreviations and forms that govern the content, documentation and formats for the medical records of the hospital's active and discharged clients; coordinate the process for the review and approval of additions/changes to the manual, which must be approved by the Medical Staff Executive Committee.
Disseminate information and educate appropriate hospital staff about the hospital's policies, procedures and expectations regarding medical records.
Store, safeguard and provide access to the medical records of discharged clients in accordance with applicable laws, rules, policies, procedures and JCAHO standards.
Conduct ongoing reviews/audits of the hospital's medical records, including reviews of the records of all discharged clients, reviews of random samples of active clients, and special/focused audits as requested/indicated; the purpose of the reviews/audits is to identify opportunities for improvement in compliance with established medical record procedures/standards and in documentation in the records.
Code all client diagnoses and medical procedures for billing and for the client information system (Avatar Hospital Information System) and statistical purposes.
Provide medical transcription services to all hospital physicians and to other professional staff as needed.
Provide support for the integrity of the information in Avatar (hospital information system), including
verification of the daily census with each client unit, checking to see that all information on each admission
is entered, and compiling reports of analyses of Avatar data entry errors for performance improvement.
Upon a client's discharge from the hospital, process documents to provide relevant client demographic and medical information to the designated aftercare agencies to facilitate follow-up and continuity of the client's care; also, prepare the necessary documents when clients are transferred to another facility.
Comply with applicable laws, rules, policies, procedures and JCAHO standards governing the confidentiality, security and integrity of the medical record and promote compliance hospital-wide.
Answer for question 2:
Importance of blue cross and blue shield plans care coverage
Blue Cross and Blue Shield companies are dedicated to improving the quality and services available to their members, while working together to keep healthcare and healthcare coverage affordable for all Americans. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield brands are the nation's oldest and largest family of health benefits companies and the most recognized brands in the health insurance industry.
Over the past 75 years blue cross has grown from providing primary health care to the largest health benefits provider in America, serving more than 99 million people in all regions of the country.
The key highlights are
· Provides coverage for more than 100 million individuals - one-in-three Americans.
· Covers one of every three Americans
· Includes 39 Plans in 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico
· Contracts with extensive number of hospitals and physicians
· Sells insurance products to all sectors in the health insurance market
The various coverage plans include(click on the links if you need more info):
Healthcare Coverage in the U.S.
· Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
· Health Maintenance Organization (HMO)
· Health Savings Account (HSA)
· Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)
· Indemnity and Traditional Coverage
· Point-of-Service (POS)
· Preferred Provider Organization (PPO)
When Traveling Inside of the U.S.
· BlueCard®: Away From Home Care Program
When Traveling Outside of the U.S.
· BlueCard Worldwide®
When Working/Living Outside of the U.S.
· BlueWorldwide Expat
Answer for Question 3:
why the lack of universal health care coverage can raise health care cost?
It is an accepted fact that health reform will succeed only with focused attention on cost control. All stakeholders seem to agree that we will not be able to afford universal coverage unless health care costs are brought under control. When it comes to coverage, Massachusetts’ health insurers are heavily regulated. The rules were established with the best of intentions, but each new rule adds to the cost of coverage, either by requiring coverage for specified services or by making it more difficult for health plans to manage care. For instance, according to a news report, in 2002 Kaiser Permanente (a major insurer) increased premiums for consumers in East Coast states by as much as 75%.
The Health Reform Act recognized the impact of such requirements on the cost of coverage. It imposed, for instance, a moratorium on new mandated benefits until the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy completed a study of the cost impact of existing mandates. The Division has not yet released this important report.
Premiums for small firms are generally 25% to 40% higher than those for big firms due to: lack of economies of scale; lack of clout with insurers; and being too small to gain the benefits of self insurance. Accordingly, "pay or play" proposals are generally accompanied by suggested reforms in the market for small group insurance.
Compared with 2000, the proportion of people who had employment-based policies in their own name fell for workers employed by firms with fewer than 25 employees, but was unchanged for those employed by larger firms.
Lastly the number of people with health insurance rose by 1.2 million between 2000 and 2001, to 240.9 million, but at the same time the number of uninsured rose by 1.4 million, to 41.2 million, according to the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. Meanwhile, an estimated 14.6 percent of the population had no health insurance coverage during all of 2001, up from 14.2 percent in 2000. The number (8.5 million) and proportion (11.7 percent) of uninsured children did not change significantly. As the number of uninsured increases the cost of health care will rise significantly.