A Medical Record is a compilation of data showing documentary evidence of a patient’s illness and treatment. Without a medical record, the continuity of a patient’s medical history would be lost to the physician. Quality care given at the institution would not be able to be assessed.
The functions of the Medical Records Department include the following:
- Pulling and filing of medical records;
- Properly compiling all discharged records;
- Maintaining medical records securely and making them available to authorized users;
- Maintaining the Master Patient Index and other indexes and registers, manually and by computer;
- Coding and indexing morbidity and mortality data according to International Classification of Diseases tenth version (ICD-10) and the International Classification of procedures in Medicine utilizing ICD-9 procedural codes;
- Performing technical analysis of the medical record to ensure that the minimum basic medical record requirements are met;
- Preparing statistical reports required by the Executive Management Committee, The Public Hospitals Authority, and the Ministry of Health;
- Processing of police reports and other requests for information from the medical record;
- Co-operating with medical and other health personnels by making available, the medical record and statistical data for research, evaluation, or educational purposes.
Services Offered
Birth Verification
Birth Verification is the process of confirming that a person was born at the Princess Margaret Hospital.
Main agencies requesting birth search are the:
- Passport Office
- Register General’s Office; (Letters for affidavit or job will be addressed to the Registrar General’s Office)
- Immigration Department.
Births cannot be verified at Princess Margaret Hospital for those born on the Family Islands. If a person was born on the Family Island, the birth information would need to be requested from the respective Family Island Commissioner’s Office, or the Family Island Community Clinic.
In the interest of National Security, the following procedures are in effect. ALL persons requesting a BIRTH VERIFICATION LETTER should provide one of the following valid photo identification to the Medical Records / Release of Information Unit for processing:
- Passport
- Voters Card
- Driver’s License
- Driver’s Learner’s Permit
- Travel Document
If applicant does not possess any of the above primary forms of identification, the applicant will be advised appropriately.
If there is a problem locating the requested birth search information, the applicants will be required to produce the following documents:
- A copy of the Applicant’s Education (Primary School Records) From the Ministry of Education/ Testing and Evaluation Department located on Tonique Williams- Darling Highway.
- Immunization records/ Clinic Card from the Baillou Hill Road Clinic
- Christening or Baptism Certificate
- Valid Photo ID.
Foreign nationals born in the Bahamas after 1973
Applicants requesting a Birth Verification Letter must first obtain a letter from the Immigration Department requesting birth search to be made by the Medical Records/ Release of Information Unit. The applicant is required to produce his/her immigration letter to the Release of Information Clerk when applying for a Birth Search Letter. Each immigration request is specific to that individual.
Applicant under 18 yrs
if search is to be made on behalf of a child under 18 years of age, The Mother is required to present herself with one of the above cited photo identification when picking up letter.
Representative
Authorized Representative acting on behalf of an adult is required to bring a signal letter of authority from the applicant, along with the applicant’s valid government issued photo identification as listed above, and a valid government issued photo I.D of the representative.
Process
Once request has been made by the applicant for verification of Birth, the search is made on the day the application is received. If there are any challenges in locating the necessary information, the customer is given a day to return.
The Release of Information Unit is located on the second level of the hospital in the Medical Records Department
Applications are filled out: Monday - Friday; 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Verified Letters Pick- up: Monday – Thursday; 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
There is a ten dollar ($10.00) research fee payable to the Business Office for all Birth Search Requests.
Name Changes in Medical Records
The Medical Records Department personnel are the only hospital employees authorized to assist patients wanting to have their names change, or adjusted in their Medical Records and in the hospital computer system.
The Process
The process of name change is done by the File- Room Supervisor on the lower floor of the Medical Records Department. Once the valid documents and a Government issued photo identification (Passport, Drivers license, Voters Card) are presented to the File-Room Supervisor, The patient Demographic information, (i.e., date of birth, mother’s name etc.,) must correspond with documentations presented by the patient.
If a person’s name is to be adjusted from what is documented in the patient medical records, a Birth Certificate, or a Certified, Registered Affidavit (registered by the Registrar General’s Office) is submitted to the Medical Records Department, along with the patient’s photo identification.
If an applicant presents a birth certificate to the department with the request of wanting her name to reflect her father’s name, but, on the birth certificate the mother’s surname is ‘Smith’, the father’s surname is ‘Johnson’ and the applicant is single, yet her surname is ‘Hepburn’, the applicant must provide a Certified Registered Affidavit to the department to have her name changed.
- Changes from maiden to marriage names
When a female wishes to have her maiden name changes into her marriage name, she needs to present to the department a Certified Marriage Certificate obtained from the Registrar General’s Department, along with the person’s photo Identification. The certificate (long white form) from the marriage officer is not accepted.
- Incorrect spelling of name in hospital records
A Certified Birth Certificate and a photo identification of the person is required.
Births, Deaths and correspondences
Releasing of dead bodies from the Rand Lab (morgue). ICD-10 codes are assigned to all death certificates/records that occurred within, or were brought to the Hospital. The department is also responsible for the verification of unrecorded births within the country and processing of various incoming correspondences from insurance agencies, court, patients, attorneys, etc.
Hours of operation:
Monday- Friday (10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.)
Name change is not done during the holidays, neither on days that patients will be attending his/her physician.
Contact Information
Telephone: 322-2861
Ext. 2191, 2298, 2231 2810
(242) 322-3074
Fax: 356-9469