Wiki Electronic Signatures

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PennyG

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Just attempting to clarify, for digital signatures in the electronic medical record, is it required to have the statement ex: Electronically signed by _______MD? I have been attempting to clarify this in the Medicare Manuals, but they are not real clear .
 
Let's further clarify my question. Can we list the statement Electronically signed by John Smith, MD, with no digital signature? Is it appropriate to include the electronic signature in the note without the statement, "electronically signed by John Smith, MD?
 
There are variations in the way electronic signatures are displayed in EHR systems and in the records that are printed to paper from those systems. I don't think there are fixed rules as to exactly how those signatures need to be shown, and in my experience auditors aren't particular about this - the bigger issue is to be able to show that your EHR systems meet industry standards and are being used correctly to ensure that those signatures are valid and secure. Here's a very good article from AHIMA that goes into some detail about this:

http://library.ahima.org/PB/ElectronicSignature#.WN5GNE3rvcs

If you scroll down about half-way, there's a section "Data Elements for Display of E-Signatures" that's pertinent to your question, but read through the whole article and you'll get a good sense of the measures that need to be in place in your organization to safeguard and ensure the validity of your providers' electronic signatures. Hope this helps some.
 
Thomas,

Thank you, so much, for this information. I have spent alot of time looking for this interpretation. I appreciate your response.

Penny Griffin, CPC, CPMA
 
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