Health Information System Query Facilitation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for medical coders to request additional information from physicians, such as via emailing or messaging, are inefficient, prone to errors, and result in redundant data storage and overlooked requests due to slow response times, lacking customization and integration with existing health information systems.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows medical coders to use preconfigured form-based templates to generate queries, which include context data from electronic health records, ensuring that queries are directed to the appropriate physician and require necessary information to be completed efficiently, reducing manual data entry and errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If medical coders use traditional emailing or messaging methods to request additional information from physicians, then communication flexibility is maintained, but response efficiency is slow and requests are frequently overlooked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a health information system as an intermediary platform between medical coders and physicians. The system provides structured query templates, automated notifications, and tracking capabilities that mediate the communication process, ensuring queries are properly formatted, delivered, and responded to within the health information ecosystem.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring query templates with relevant fields, automatically populating context data from EHRs, and preparing notification mechanisms before queries are submitted. This reduces the time needed for coders to compose queries and ensures physicians receive well-structured, complete information upfront.
2Reliability
If manual data entry is used to create queries, then flexibility in query creation is maintained, but errors increase and data redundancy occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service by automatically extracting context data from electronic health records and populating query templates. The health information system retrieves patient information, encounter details, and other relevant context data without manual intervention, reducing errors and redundancy while maintaining simplicity for the coder.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary data gathering and validation by automatically retrieving context data from EHRs before the coder creates the query. This preliminary action ensures accurate, consistent data is available in the query template, reducing the need for manual data entry and minimizing errors.
3Ease of operation
If unstructured communication methods are used for queries, then ease of creation is maintained, but data organization and tracking become difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the query creation process into structured components using templates with defined fields for query type, priority, context data, and responder information. This segmentation organizes information systematically while maintaining ease of creation through form-based interfaces, and enables effective tracking through structured data storage.
4Manufacturing precision
If custom query templates are implemented, then query precision and completeness are improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements universal query templates that can handle multiple types of medical coding queries through a standardized structure. The templates are multi-functional, accommodating different query scenarios (clarification, additional information, billing details) while maintaining a consistent interface, thereby improving completeness without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided for facilitating query initiation and query response. Form-based templates may be configured to include data extracted from an electronic health record (EHR). Additional fields may be configured such that a query initiator provides input to the fields and/or links a document. The query initiator may select the intended query responder. The query is assigned to the responder such that the responder may access the query in a queue. The query responder may provide input to required and/or optional fields. Completed queries may be stored in the EHR of the associated patient.