Amanda Compton

HCMT 1005

Hurricane Katrina
I have read the five articles around the EHR and Hurricane Katrina. All of the articles
coincide with each other as they are all focused on the main goal of implementing the use of the
EHR. I never realized the problems that occurred when Hurricane Katrina hit, I knew that the
health records were destroyed but I guess I never put it all together how that effected the patients
that were dealing with the disaster. I read about several patients who were due to have major
surgeries the following days after Katrina hit and not only were they not able to have the
surgeries most of them were uprooted from their homes. They had to relocate their entire
families and basically start over at a new hospital with a new doctor due to not having any of
their prior medical history with them. I was shocked to read that patients didnt even know the
name of the medications that they were taking.
If I were in charge of a health care facility and I was faced with the aftermath of a
catastrophe such as a Hurricane Katrina the first thing that I would do is convert all paper records
to electronic. I understand that they just did not have the money to provide such system
immediately, but as soon as the opportunity arose I would definitely utilize any medical staff that
I could to start the process of transferring the paper records to electronic records. My initial
thought was that I would have the records department moved to the top floor of the hospital but
that really wouldnt help especially in the event of a roof leak or tornado. I would also ensure
that all patients received instructions on the importance of keeping their medication lists and any
other important medical files on a personal computer or in an email. In the event of a situation
where the patient cannot return home they can easily access a file that contains the information
they may need to assist their new physicians.

Amanda Compton
HCMT 1005

References
1. Dimick, Chris. "A Long Recovery: HIM Departments Three Years after Katrina" Journal
of AHIMA 79, no.9 (September 2008): 42-46.
Article
2. Abc News
Electronic Medical Records Proved Their Worth in Katrina's Wake
In-text: (News, 2014)
Bibliography: News, A. (2014). Electronic Medical Records Proved Their Worth in
Katrina's Wake. [online] ABC News. Available at:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Healthday/story?id=4506718&page=1
3. Mann, D.
Katrina Shows Need for Electronic Health Records
In-text: (Mann, 2005)
Bibliography: Mann, D. (2005). Katrina Shows Need for Electronic Health Records.
[online] Fox News. Available at:
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2005/09/23/katrina-shows-need-for-electronic-healthrecords/
4. Bower, A.
Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews TIME.com
In-text: (Bower, 2005)
Bibliography: Bower, A. (2005). Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos,
Video, Tech Reviews - TIME.com. [online] TIME.com. Available at:
http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1107826,00.html
5. Walker, T.
Hurricane Katrina prompts development of national electronic health records system
In-text: (Walker, 2005)
Bibliography: Walker, T. (2005). Hurricane Katrina prompts development of national
electronic health records system. [online] Formulary Journal. Available at:
http://formularyjournal.modernmedicine.com/formulary-journal/news/clinical/practicemanagement/hurricane-katrina-prompts-development-national-e?page=full [Accessed 12
Sep. 2014].