FILING BASICS
This process organizes records so they can be easily found and protected.
What is filing?
The most common filing system, organized the same way as a phone book.
What is alphabetical filing?
In alphabetical order, this name would be filed before “Brooks.”
What is Brook?
These are used to prevent records from being lost or misplaced.
What are cross-references?
This is required to match a patient’s name with their assigned number.
What is a cross-index?
One major reason health care records must be filed correctly is to keep them available as these types of documents.
What are legal records?
In this system, each patient is assigned a unique number instead of being filed by name.
What is numerical filing?
This name would be indexed as “Davis, John Robert.”
What is John Robert Davis?
This phrase is commonly written on a cross-reference sheet.
What is “See …”?
In consecutive numerical filing, this number comes before 230.
What is 23?
This type of patient record is currently being used because the patient is receiving care.
What is an active record?
Cities, states, or regions are used as key units in this filing system.
What is geographic filing?
When last names are the same, this part of the name determines filing order next.
What is the first name?
Cross-reference sheets are often this color so they stand out in the file.
What is a bright or colored sheet?
These computerized patient files are commonly called EHRs.
What are electronic health records?
This type of record belongs to a patient who has not been seen for 2–3 years.
What is an inactive record?
This filing system groups records by topics such as diabetes or glaucoma.
What is subject filing?
These parts of names, such as Jr. or Sr., are used as the last indexing unit.
What are terms of seniority?
This filing system uses colors to represent letters in a patient’s last name.
What is a color-coded filing system?
These must be made regularly in electronic systems to prevent data loss.
What are backups?
This type of record is for a patient who has died or transferred to another facility.
What is a closed record?
This filing system helps prevent errors when two patients have the same name.
What is numerical filing?
In alphabetical filing, this rule means “Brown, W.” comes before “Brown, William.”
What is “nothing comes before something”?
This advantage allows staff to quickly spot a file that is out of place.
What is color coding helps prevent filing errors?
Passwords and firewalls help protect patient records by maintaining this.
What is confidentiality?