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Graphical audits of medical records can reveal valuable insights into the delivery of medical care. They can identify missed health issues, reveal how well a facility tracks information, and determine if there is a relationship between age and certain health issues. The audits can also be used to improve the quality of care provided by a facility. Insurance companies and government systems may also request chart audit data.
Many are familiar with the term audit as a complex review of tax documents that looks for errors or mistakes. The idea of the graphical audit has similarities to this one, but also differences. In medicine, doctors, hospitals and others may routinely conduct medical record audits, certainly to look at ways things could be improved in the delivery of medical care, but also to gain insights into the population they serve and the diseases human.
When stored properly, medical records, especially when taken in bulk, can contain an incredible amount of information. That information could be used to determine if there are health issues that are regularly missed or if there is a relationship between things like age and certain health issues. Looking at charts, both online and in print, can also reveal how well a medical facility records and faithfully tracks information. Missing information like labs, drug allergy or other vital things could suggest that the quality of care could be improved with better record keeping skills.
Often, a graphical check is conducted to improve quality and is limited to looking for certain things. A busy family doctor practice may want to evaluate the care it provides for its pediatric patients and particularly whether it is making sure all children receive their vaccinations on schedule. The practice could evaluate only the pediatric charts and look at date of birth versus vaccination information, to determine if they meet best practice.
If the chart audit concludes that not enough attention is being paid to this matter, there may be many ways to handle this information. The practice could start a family education program. They may also decide that since they have failed to get vaccinated, they should contact any families who have children overdue for vaccines and let them know. Both of these steps could be employed in order to implement a higher quality of care.
Other examples of the graph audit may consider how well a facility caters for the special needs of certain populations such as older adults. A hospital might conduct a graph to determine how often there are injuries among elderly patients in the hospital. High numbers could suggest increased vigilance, hiring more staff or training staff to a higher level. Hospitals could be looking for other additional information, such as the patient’s infection rate after surgery or the number of people returning to the emergency room in two to three days. These numbers provide facilities with hard data on the delivery of adequate and appropriate medical care.
Insurance companies may request chart audit data on a regular basis to verify whether they have been billed appropriately for any treatment of their clients. These reviews, too, can take time and are often more frustrating than beneficial to clinicians. Some government systems in association with government health or hospital credentials also require chart audits from time to time, which can focus on a variety of factors. Individuals who keep their medical records at home may request that any new records be audited periodically to ensure that the charts remain accurate.
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