The HIPAAprivacy rule mandates that you allow patients access to their protected health information. The rule also lays out certain provisions for denying that access. Strategy: Develop a policy for streamlining this process. Ask your patients to submit their access requests in writing. Then reply with a notice similar to the letter below, contributed by Deborah Larios, a partner at Nashville, TN's Miller & Martin. This process will allow your staff to comply with patient requests while at the same time directing your inquiries in the right direction.