In June, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) released a series of patient oriented videos that describe in easy to understand methods, the rights that patients are afforded when it comes to accessing their health information. “Many people are not fully aware of their right to access their own medical records under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), including the right to access a copy when their health information is stored electronically,” said Lucia Savage, J.D., ONC’s chief privacy officer. “The videos we released today highlight the basics for individuals to get access to their electronic health information and direct it where they wish, including to third party applications.” These videos can be used as a resource to doctors offices for those patients that have questions about their health information and how it relates to them and their healthcare providers.

In addition, the ONC also release a Patient Engagement Playbook for Providers that are designed as a resource for clinicians ans office staff to better engage patients in regards to issues to HIPAA and other health record information. The videos are professionally produced and a highly recommended resource to use to help answer some of the tricky questions asked by patients.

Read more about the official HHS.gov release on this topic