Worth pointing out that HIPAA/HITECH[1] explicitly states that the fee can <i>only</i> include:<p><pre><code> Page 107: "covered entity may impose a reasonable, cost-based fee"
- the cost of labor of copying (*not* the time spent gathering the record)
- cost of materials used (paper, toner, CDs)
- postage (if requested to be mailed)
- preparation of a summary (if requested by patient)
</code></pre>
Section 2i (effective as of Sept 2013) of that same page says an institution must provide the record in an electronic format specified by the patient if it is readily reproducible. That's part of what we are banking on with Prime[2].<p>It seems many hospitals and clinics are overcharging in the former case and most have not yet had a lot of exposure to the latter. (Which should necessarily reduce cost, because time and media costs are lower with digital.)<p>[1] PDF: <a href="http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/combined/hipaa-simplification-201303.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/administrative/combined...</a><p>[2] <a href="https://stayinyourprime.com" rel="nofollow">https://stayinyourprime.com</a>
My notes on the sad state of healthcare data integration[1]. This issue of patient access to their own records in electronic format kind of falls in the general category of electronic data access and data integration. In short, you'd be lucky to get your provider to print your records let alone save them as pdf let alone export them in a machine readable fashion. The only change I see on the horizon is entirely consumer driven with the advent of better and more interesting consumer focused health/lifestyle devices and apps. Once the consumer becomes savvy, industry EMR providers will follow.<p>[1]<a href="http://siculars.posthaven.com/health-data-integration-regulation-and-incentivization" rel="nofollow">http://siculars.posthaven.com/health-data-integration-regula...</a>
I was wondering what happens to your medical records if your
Doctor dies. It turns out there's no hard set rules--that I was able to find. Yes--you have a trail of prescriptions, and if you paid with insurance I guess you can prove you took/need certain medications? The problem arises if you see
a Doctor and pay cash. It looks like the only way to gain
access to your records is going through probate court. Even then, the Executor is not required to look for your records.
Who knows where the medical records end up; I imagine most times they end up in garbage? Am I right? If I got this wrong, please correct me.