Health data quality important, says AHIMA

The American Health Information Management Association recently explained the proper usage of digital health information and gave recommendations to make sure it is used correctly. The organization, in a paper entitled "Ensuring Data Quality Integrity in Health Information Exchange," maintained that the purpose of digital records is to exchange information on patients quickly and efficiently.

According to the paper's authors, the key factor in ensuring fast exchange of reliable data is establishing connections between several related records. The source noted that there are currently many duplicate records in medical systems, bringing the need for deduplication and advanced matching algorithms to the fore.

The report stated that professionals with the ability to maintain accurate digital health records are in greater demand than ever before. Organizations have increasingly placed value on having accurate information both for internal use and transmission between partners.

According to Healthcare IT News, research by NorthShore University Health System found a specific use for increased accuracy in electronic health records. The source stated that researchers support the increased use and sharing of EHRs to counter the unnecessary use of antibiotic medication, taking some of the guesswork out of the prescription process.