UnitedHealth Group has recalled software used in hospital emergency departments in more than 20 states because of an error that caused doctors’ notes about patient prescriptions to drop out of their files.
According to the reports, the technology is used in 35 facilities in states including California, New Jersey, and Florida. There were no reports of patient harm, and each facility was notified and received a digital fix, said Kyle Christensen, a spokesman for the UnitedHealth division that makes the Picis ED PulseCheck software that was recalled.
Business Week brought this news to us in their article, “UnitedHealth Recalls Digital Health Record Software After Error.” The incident shows how software errors can create dangers for patients at a time when digital health records are being implemented.
It has never been more important to choose a vendor that could handle the volume. Another smart choice is using software that helps ensure patient information is entered correctly utilizing error flagging and trend analysis, such as ICD Tagger. The details provided by the patient, combined with the implementation of electronic health records, will have medical professionals communicating and resolving issues in record time.
Melody K. Smith
Sponsored by Access Innovations, the world leader in thesaurus, ontology, and taxonomy creation and metadata application.
