You’ve chosen a career in the medical field—nurse, nurse practitioner, healthcare management. But things are changing all around you. If you don’t keep up, your career will be held up. You’ll go from having a career to simply a job. When that happens, others will climb over you and succeed. It’s a fast-paced world. Nothing stands still. Here’s what you need to know to keep moving.
The Proliferation of eRecords
You’ve no doubt noticed the demise of paper in medical billing and coding. Under HIPAA laws, medical practitioners had to adapt to new software that sends out electronic bills. eRecords let you see the totality of a patient’s medical care. It also provides valuable statistical information of various patient populations. A recent report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed that more than half of doctors' offices and 80 percent of hospitals have transitioned from paper to electronic records.
Population Science Takes a Giant Leap Forward
If you want to know how an illness or health issue affects a group, you’ll need Population Science. This used to be an esoteric field confined to public health workers trying to understand the spread and control of an epidemic. But technology has brought Population Science down to the everyday healthcare practitioner. Now, instead of just treating a singular patient, medical practitioners have instant access to cancer, heart disease and obesity data that allow for a deeper understanding of these issues, better treatment modalities and even prevention protocols. If you’re involved in clinical studies, you’ll need to bring yourself up to speed in Population Science. The National Institute of Health has devoted extensive research into Population Science in various branches of medicine.
Keep up on Your ICD-10 Codes
The International Statistical Classification of Diseases, the ICD-10, allows illnesses, unexpected findings, external causes and symptoms to be classified using over 120,000 codes. You can find more information about ICD-10 online from the World Health Organization. The codes allow healthcare practitioners to track, retrieve and store valuable diagnostic information. If you’re in the medical field and want to keep up, you’ll have to familiarize yourself with the latest ICD-10 software. You’ll need to know how to follow guidelines. The CDC has updates on the latest version of this software, which is owned by the World Health Organization and publishes the classification.
It’s important to note the human factor in medical care. Your responsibility as a healthcare professional is to provide attentive care to patients. So while technology can improve efficiencies, your ability to connect with a patient can’t be understated. That said, if you want to advance your career, you have to advance your knowledge in these emerging new technologies.
Image courtesy of Stuart Miles/FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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