Health care information management, or HIM, is essential in the health care industry, bringing patients and clients, providers, and insurance companies together through document and health history management.
Because health information management is a crucial component of modern health care, home health care software that facilitates HIM continues to be necessary.
What is Health Information Management (HIM)?
Health information management is the collection, storage, analysis, and protection of a patient’s or client’s personal health history and medical records.
This can exist in paper format, digitally, or a combination of both. That’s why the collection and streamlined storage of this information has become a mandatory aspect of healthcare.
The goal of HIM is to allow quick access to these documents and medical history for use —all while keeping information secure and HIPAA compliant.
Importance of Health Information Management in Health Care
Health Information Management allows providers and organizations to administer far more accurate and efficient health care. With thorough and accessible patient and client health histories, health care professionals can get a more concise and better detailed picture of a patient’s needs.
But HIM facilitates far more than patient health, it makes many aspects of health care substantially easier.
Why Use Home Health Care Software for HIM?
Home health care software ensures more accurate HIM, with technology designed to make data collection and analysis a smoother and smarter process.
Home health care software can specialize in many different components of HIM.
Some of the benefits of using a home health care software include:
Enhancing Patient and Client Care and Outcomes
Home health care software offers agencies, clinicians, and professionals quick and easy access to patient and client data allowing them make more informed decisions about care and treatment plans.
Ensuring Data Accuracy
Home health care agencies can utilize home health software to help ensure data accuracy by reducing the risk of manual data entry errors and providing validation checks on data input.
Improving Communication and Collaboration
The use of software also reduces the risk of miscommunication and data duplication. When communication is simplified, it leads to less confusion, quicker communication, and far better client care.
Ensuring Compliance
Home health care software can help ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and industry standards, such as HIPAA, by providing security features and access controls for patient data.
Managing Client Confidentiality
Home health care software can help manage patient confidentiality by only providing secure access to client data to authorized family members and personnel.
Implementing HIM in Home Health Care Software
Using the right home health care software for health information management is as important as the quality of care being administered.You can narrow down the best home health care software for your organization by:
Identifying HIM Requirements
Start by analyzing the specific HIM requirements for your agency. Depending on the services your organization provides, these requirements can vary.
Choosing the Right Home Health Care Software
Evaluate software options by looking at your agency’s specific needs and creating a list of options, then evaluate what each software does—and does not—offer.
An all-encompassing home health software usually accommodates:
Electronic Health Records (EHRs)
Easy access to secure, HIPAA compliant health records and in some cases the use of these for electronic visit verifications and Medicaid billing.
Because electronic visit verifications, or EVVs, are often a legal requirement, it’s useful to have software that helps document these visits.
Health Information Exchange (HIE)
The best home health care software facilitates easy health information exchange including efficient storage of and access to electronic information and health history.
Ensuring Data Quality
Another aspect of choosing the right software is establishing policies and procedures to ensure the accuracy, completeness, and consistency of data in the home health care software transition or migration.
Establishing Security Protocols
Home health care software should include protocols to protect patient data and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
Patient and Client Confidentiality and HIPAA
Regulatory requirements often include HIPAA compliance. This should be a built-in aspect of document storage and access.
Staff Training and Support
It’s important to provide comprehensive training and support to ensure that staff can use your agency’s chosen home health care software effectively and efficiently.
Continuous Quality Improvement
Your home health care software should include valuable data analytics and insights that identify opportunities for improvement and inform decision-making.
The Future of Home Health Care Software and HIM
Home health care software and Health Information Management go hand in hand and will continue to streamline the health care industry.
Recent technological advances such as artificial intelligence and machine learning are projected to be the future of home health care software and it’s increased capabilities, providing further improvement to the quality and depth of health data analysis.
Virtual reality technology may soon help educate and rehabilitate, while blockchain technology will help keep health data secure.
And, while wearable devices for remote monitoring already exist, their capacity to monitor and communicate is constantly improving.
These advances are just the beginning of an exciting and symbiotic relationship between HIM and home health care software.
Enhancing Health Care Outcomes with AxisCare
AxisCare is centered around health information management, innovation, and the security of your client’s data. Our home health care software is built to support the intricacies of HIM and offer a profound helping hand to patients and the organizations in the home care industry.
Book a demo with one of our home care experts to learn more about AxisCare and how we can be a partner in your agency’s continued growth.
