Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement

Patients with access to their protected health information (PHI) are more invested in their care and more willing to abide by doctors’ orders. However, despite the best intentions, it can be challenging for patients to request and gain that important information.

The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) created a new form for providers to “streamline the process when patients request their PHI under HIPAA and comply with the timeframe and fees set out by the Office for Civil Rights’ (OCR) guidance of 2016,” says AHIMA’s “Advocacy and Policy Efforts” section on its website.

The AHIMA form is free, and it’s easy to read, download, and use. It offers detailed reasoning with HHS and OCR links that explain why you must follow certain HIPAA protocols (i.e. 30-day timeframe for delivery of PHI to patient) when patients request their medical records. The form can be “customized by providers and organizations to capture the data you need as well as organizational contact information,” the AHIMA guidance notes.

Resource: For a link to the AHIMA information and patient request form, visit http://www.ahima.org/about/advocacy/efforts.