These procedures are general in nature and are not an attempt to cover all contingencies. They have been created as a basic guideline for those people staffing the Health Information Department during an external emergency or power blackout.

If you have prior notice of an expected power failure/outage, the first priority of those staffing the 24-Hour Center will be to print out (from Softmed ChartLoc) a list of files housed in all of the areas in HIM external to the main file area (location551) or the Offsite file area (location 562). These would include:

• 24-Hour Hold (656)
• Repair (649)
• Record Processing (576)
• Coding (554)
• Outpatient Coding (560/976)
• Pre-Admit (677)
• Prefile (570)
• Review in Main File (646)
• Ob/Gyn MRT Area (584)

Having these reports available to the staff during an emergency will greatly facilitate locating a record within the HIM department itself.

One of the PC’s at the 24-Hour Request Center is equipped with a stand-alone application capable of searching the PIDX to identify a patient. The file that this application accesses is stored locally on the PC’s hard drive and is updated monthly. No password is necessary to access this application. The PC is plugged into an emergency power outlet and is stationed near an orange emergency telephone to prevent reduction in patient care services in the event that power is lost.

If the external emergency is a hurricane, all of the records temporarily stored in the Release of Information area of the HIM Department (McCullough 112) must be removed from the 1^st floor to prevent damage. As soon as notice of a pending emergency is given they are to be returned to the main file area. The Information Release Services Team may wish to run a printout of all charts currently in their area BEFORE THEY ARE MOVED to facilitate their post-disaster start-up procedures.

While the Power Is Down

Requests for records will be written on two-part Request Slips. The request is logged onto either the Admission Form or the Emergency Department Form. When the record is pulled from any area of the HIM Department, the copy of the slip is put in an outguide on the shelf in place of the record being pulled. A member of the HIM staff takes the record to the requesting party.

The original copy of the Request Slip is maintained at the 24-Hour Request Center, preferably in TD order.

When Power Is Restored

All records that have been returned are to be updated to Main File/551on SoftMed.

Pull Slips are checked on SoftMed to see if the record has been returned.

If the record is still out the chart should be manually updated to the location of the requester.
 

The Offsite File Operation Center

The Offsite File Operations Center at 1902 Water Street is closed, secured, and un-staffed during a hurricane emergency. This file area does not re-open until the levels of staffing in the main file area permit. At that time representatives of the HIM Department will be sent to the Water Street Building to assess the damage. At that time they will also pull whatever records necessary for patient care.

This event, the re-opening of the Water Street facility, must be handled with care. There is no way to tell what hazards might await those traveling between facilities. Contact with Campus Police, Physical Plant and others in authority will be crucial in determining if and when HIM staff are to be sent to retrieve records from this facility.