Databases Worksheet.
Question 1: The difference between database types and capacities.
Databases are organized collections of digital data. There are various types of databases such as document-oriented databases designed to store, retrieve and manage semi-structured or document oriented data. Graph databases use a graph data structure with nodes, edges and attributes to represent and store data. Hypertext database types are used to organize large collections of disparate data such as online encyclopaedia content. Finally, the relational database type stores data in forms of rows and columns (tables) and are most commonly used (Aizel, 2012).
Database capacity refers to the memory and storage requirements needed to run a database and is directly related to the types of data stored. For example, multimedia files such as videos and images will require more RAM and hard drive capacity while text-based will require little system memory to process, as well as secondary storage to hold the data (Taft, 2016).
Question 2: How data inaccuracies affect patient care and reimbursement.
Inaccuracies in data collection and documentation can affect patient care and reimbursement since there has been a shift towards value-based reimbursement for medical providers. In this case, providers are measured and reimbursed based on the detail, specificity, and accuracy of the patient diagnosis and treatment data they collect. In this case, claim submissions now require a lot of data such as CPT codes, details of patient diagnosis and disease state, and services offered. The accuracy of how this information is presented affects the revenues collected by medical providers (Reese, 2015). Inaccuracies could lead to less or no reimbursement at all. The impact of inaccuracies on patient care directly relates to poor service since inaccurate collection and documentation may result in misdiagnosis, which could then affect the quality of service offered.
Question 3: Relationship between databases, and impact on the medical records system.
The three databases presented are the patient, provider, and treatment information databases. The three databases are related in that the patient database (database 1) contains all personally identifying information about a patient, such as the name, gender, date of birth, address, medical plan, social security number, insurance, employer, and account number. The account number is critical since it identifies the patient in the provider's database. Database 2 is the health provider's number and includes information about the provider,such as the name, employer, address and NPI (National Provider Identifier). The treatment information database (Database 3) contains records of patient service such as date, place, diagnosis and CPT (Current Procedural Terminology). The CPT number codes for the diagnosis and the charges for services offered. All these three databases are necessary for the medical records system since they help identify patients and providers, as well as the services provided and charges. This way, a patient can have a cumulative health history done by a licensed provider, and the provider can seek reimbursement from insurance for medical services offered since he has the patient's insurance details as well as proof of service.
References:
Aizel, P. (2012). Types of databases. Slideshare.net. Retrieved 5 April 2016, from http://www.slideshare.net/PAQUIAAIZEL/types-of-databases
Reese, M. (2015). Getting paid for the Work You Do: The art of accuracy in coding. MedAxiom - Synergistic Healthcare Solutions. Retrieved 5 April 2016, from http://www.medaxiom.com/news/2015/09/01/news/getting-paid-for-the-work-you-do/
Taft, D. (2016). Eight Factors to Consider for Database Capacity Planning. Eweek.com. Retrieved 3 April 2016, from http://www.eweek.com/database/slideshows/eight-factors-to-consider-for-database-capacity-planning.html
