Do you want to make sure doctors not only have full access to your medical records, but can also access them in a timely manner? If so, please consider taking a couple of minutes help streamline the medical process! Here’s a short recap of what’s going on, what’s being voted on this Wednesday, and how it may affect you.
Under Minnesota law, the use of clinical data to ensure appropriate care for patients cannot be shared between treating providers without patient consent for every data transfer. This results in the duplication of tests and procedures, making it more difficult to coordinate care when a patient gets care outside of your clinic or system. It also means that providers don’t always have the complete medical history for their patients.
However, this could all change Wednesday when the House of Representatives is set to vote on a proposal that would make it easier for medical professionals to share patient information safely and securely with one another. Right now, if you come to my office for a second opinion, you have to sign a special form to allow your previous provider to send me your records, another form to allow the hospital to release the X-rays and Emergency Room notes, and another form to let the MRI company release the film report. It is insane! But, we can end this by aligning Minnesota’s HIPAA laws with the national standard, which allows providers to share this information with one another without excess patient signatures while still maintaining strong protections for patient privacy.
If passed, doctors would be able to securely send clinical information to other healthcare professionals without the need for patient consent for treatment, payment and healthcare operation uses. This will allow us to provide a better patient experience. Thanks for taking time to do this so we can provide you and all our patients with a more streamlined patient experience.
Thanks,
Dr. Silverman
