PRIVACY + SECURITY BLOG

News, Developments, and Insights

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Yes, HIPAA Requires Medical Records to Be Emailed to Patients if Requested

Email Medical Records

Have you ever asked your healthcare provider to send you medical records by email?  Most likely, you’ve received the reply: “We can’t do that.  We can only fax them to you or provide you with a paper copy.”  This answer is wrong. HIPAA’s right for individuals to access their health information, 45 CFR § 164.524, provides: […]

The Persistent Problems with Access to Records Under HIPAA

HIPAA Access to Medical Records

A study released last month in Jama Open Network entitled Assessment of US Hospital Compliance With Regulations for Patients’ Requests for Medical Records demonstrates that compliance with HIPAA’s right to access medical records remains woeful.  In the second half of 2017, researchers contacted 83 US hospitals and conducted a simulated patient experience to ask for medical records. […]