What are the purposes of the IHS medical records?
There are nine (9) stated purposes for maintaining the IHS medical records: • to provide for patient care and treatment; • to provide statistical data for program evaluation; • to communicate patient care information among providers; • to serve as official documentation of patient care; • to contribute to continuing education of IHS staff; • for disease surveillance; • to compile and provide aggregated program statistics; • to process, document, and monitor third-party billing and reimbursement claims. • to improve the IHS national patient care database by verifying patient’s Social Security Numbers with the Social Security Admin.
