The main function of the Health Records Department at the Health Centre is to serve as the "Gatekeeper" of all health records that contain the medical information that describes all aspects of patient care. Information is the lifeblood of the health care delivery system. Physicians, nurses, and other health care providers require health information to treat a patient; therefore the health record serves as a communication link among caregivers. The documentation also serves to protect the legal interests of the patient, health care provider and health care facility.
The department is also responsible for transcribing all dictated reports from physicians and other health care providers, i.e.: admission histories, discharge summaries, progress notes, radiology reports.
Another important function is translating all clinical data for all outpatient, inpatient and same day surgery events from their written form into numerical data, which in turn is entered into a database and ultimately shared with the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care and the Canadian Institute of Health Information. This information assists the government to determine funding and staffing for the Health Centre, as well as determining service needs for the community, etc..
The department is staffed by personnel who follow a code of ethics determined and governed by the Canadian Health Information Association. We take great pride in our work and look forward to being a part of this community for many years to come.
