Health Information Professionals Week Focuses on “Transforming Health care with Information.”
HIP Week Set for March 16-22, 2014
Farmington-The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) honors and celebrates health information professionals during the 25th annual Health Information Professionals (HIP) Week, March 16-22. This year’s theme is “Transforming Healthcare with Information.”
“The work health information management (HIM) professionals do to ensure the integrity of health information is imperative to clinical and administrative decision making. Access to accurate information helps all of us make important decisions and leads to a healthy society,” said Heather Chartier, director of health information management at Franklin Memorial Hospital (FMH). Health Information Professionals Week spotlights the important role HIM professionals play in our health care system.”
As the focus in health care shifts from the ability to collect data to using information effectively, health care organizations will continue to depend on HIM professionals as leaders in this area. With their expertise in management of information, as well as data integrity and analytics, health information professionals are well positioned to move the health care industry into a transformed future.
The HIM professionals at Franklin Memorial Hospital want to inform patients that they have the right to inspect, review, and receive a copy of their medical records. There are three ways to request Franklin Memorial Hospital (FMH) medical records: in person, by fax, or by mail. To request medical records in person, print and complete the Authorization to Receive Protected Health Information Form found at www.fchn.org, under Services and Programs, then choose the link for Health Information Management (HIM). Return the form to the HIM department (medical records) release of information office, located on the ground floor of the Franklin Health Medical Arts Center in the hospital campus, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A valid photo ID must be presented when picking up records.
To request medical records by fax or mail, print the Authorization to Receive Protected Health Information Form. Fax the completed form to the HIM department at (207) 779-2629, or mail the completed form to Franklin Memorial Hospital, Attn: HIM (medical records), 111 Franklin Health Commons, Farmington, ME 04938. Be sure to supply the address where the records are to be mailed or the secure fax number. Records will be mailed to you within 5-10 business days to allow time for processing.
For additional information pertaining to the release of medical records, please contact FMH’s release of information specialist at (207) 779-2330.
For patients with a Franklin Health primary care physician, there is a patient portal available. A patient portal is a secure online Web site that gives patients convenient 24-hour access to personal health information from anywhere with an Internet connection. Using a secure user name and password, patients can view their test results, office visit summaries, medication list, and request prescription refills and appointments. To obtain access to the portal contact your physician practice for information.