What Are the Common Errors in Medical Documentation?

In healthcare companies, the value of complete and accurate medical records has always been recognized. Medical records give physicians a complete picture of a patient’s medical history so they have everything they need to know when diagnosing or treating a patient. The patient’s health is at great risk if this information is poorly recorded, not readable, or is delayed needlessly. High-quality care and patient safety are provided by good documentation. A trustworthy medical transcription company supports doctors by producing accurate medical records and ensuring that their documentation procedures adhere to high standards.

Four Main Reasons to Ensure Proper Medical Documentation

Here are four reasons why it’s crucial to accurately record patients’ medical information.

• To communicate with other medical personnel: Documentation explains the what, why, and how of providing clinical care to patients. These data give other medical professionals access to patient histories, enabling them to continue offering each patient the best care possible. Along the continuum of treatment, from EM to HM and transitioning into the post-acute care setting, proper documentation also aids in patient navigation and coordination.

• Minimizes exposure to risk management: Accurate and thorough documentation lowers risk as well as the likelihood of a malpractice claim being upheld. In the event of a claim, having a thorough record of the patient’s care and treatment allays any worries about culpability. When you are in the middle of a professional liability claim and several years have passed, it is doubtful that you would recall the specifics of a particular instance. In this circumstance, your documentation will be your go-to resource.
• Documents, PQRS Measures and CMS Hospital Quality Indicators: Documentation records the value-based care measures that hospitals are increasingly being asked by the government to produce. These include MIPS metrics and Hospital Quality Indicators.

• Provides proper reimbursement: A thorough medical record can speed up payment, lessen any “hassles” connected with claims processing, and guarantee proper reimbursement. It can also support efficient revenue cycle procedures.

Common Errors in Medical Records

Clinical documentation mistakes can result in inaccurate diagnoses and treatments, which can be risky or even fatal. Misspellings, inaccurate dates, switched numbers, and omitted information are examples of common medical documentation mistakes in the field. Also problematic is handwriting that is incomplete or illegible. In some circumstances, a mistake in one section of a document can render the entire document invalid.

• Errors in transcription: For instance, a nurse might not accurately record a doctor’s orders. If the inaccurate information is not found and changed before being used, it may have devastating repercussions.

• Misuse of abbreviations: Although acronyms are frequently used in medical documentation, improper use of these might result in mistakes. For instance, a patient can be given the incorrect amount of medication if the abbreviation “qd” (for “daily”) is misread as “qid” (four times per day).

• Insufficient documentation: This happens when a medical provider doesn’t record all the details of a patient’s care. For instance, a doctor or nurse can neglect to record a patient’s laboratory test results or their vital signs. It might be challenging to deliver effective care when there are inaccuracies in the recording of healthcare.

• Ignoring crucial information: This can occur when a physician or other medical expert neglects to record crucial details about a patient’s condition or course of treatment. If the omission is not noticed and remedied right away, it could have catastrophic repercussions.

• Incorrect information entry: This mistake can happen when a medical professional enters inaccurate data in a patient’s chart. For instance, inaccurate birth date or prescriptions may be listed. This kind of mistake can be perplexing and may result in incorrect care.

Other Medical Errors

• Inaccurate documentation: Doctors that are dissatisfied with their EHR configuration begin using their own templates. This could result in lost medical records and information. For instance, progress notes that end up in the section for procedure notes. When medical records such as lab or radiology reports are lost, doctors and nurses may have to make serious decisions about the patient’s care based on inaccurate information.
• No primary complaint or past medical history (HPI): The principal complaint must be precisely documented in accordance with evaluation and management documentation criteria in order to prove medical necessity. According to regulations, only the doctor may record the HPI.
• Noting the results that are positive: Whether a diagnosis is ruled in or out depends significantly on both positive and negative findings. Keep in mind the saying, “If it’s not in writing, it didn’t happen.”
• Only providing a diagnosis list at each evaluation session: The evaluation is the part of the daily contact where the physician documents his or her perspective of the situation. Just mentioning the diagnosis for each visit may not be sufficient to prove medical necessity.

Processing delays are caused by incomplete medical records. A person in urgent need of care is not receiving care for an additional hour for every hour that documentation is delayed. Accurate documentation ensures that the patient receives proper care when they need it while lowering any risk exposure to patients and healthcare organizations. Good clinical records can be utilized to investigate any major incidents in the patient’s care as well as to audit the quality of the healthcare services provided. Utilizing medical transcription services is the most effective way to ensure the accuracy of medical documentation. Compared to using speech recognition software alone, these services reduce the number of errors and increase the accuracy of records.