Medical Records: More Than the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

It is the responsibility of each organization, including private practice businesses, to maintain a comprehensive medical records retention policy. While registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) are qualified and competent business owners, navigating through the challenges of proper medical record management can be difficult without a sound policy. A comprehensive medical record retention policy consists of 4 major components: creation, utilization, maintenance, and destruction as well as a retention schedule. Successful implementation of a comprehensive medical record retention policy promotes positive clinician-patient interaction and avoidance of potential legal ramifications.

Clinical Leadership and Innovation Help Achieve Malnutrition Quality Improvement Initiative Success.

Malnutrition is a frequent, but often overlooked clinical issue that can significantly impact patient health outcomes and thus has been identified as a critical target for quality improvement. One recent advancement helping build momentum in quality improvement is the Malnutrition Quality Improvement Initiative (MQii). Frameworks like the MQii need clinical leadership to achieve success. A new taxonomy for clinical dietetics leadership describes five components of leadership behaviors-change, patient focus, self-direct, technical, and relationship-that align with the MQii tools and resources. Qualitative interviews were conducted with four clinical nutrition leaders from three health care systems or institutions who were part of the 2018-2019 MQii Learning Collaborative and had reported success and innovations using the MQii framework. The clinical dietetics leadership taxonomy was applied to describe how the clinical nutrition leaders demonstrated and supported leadership opportunities for clinical nutrition staff through implementation of the MQii. FUNDING/SUPPORT: Publication of this supplement was supported by Abbott. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics does not receive funding for the MQii. Avalere Health's work to support the MQii was funded by Abbott.