Did you know that the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (a.k.a. “HIPAA”) is a law that gives you the right to see and obtain your health records in paper or electronic formats, even if you haven't paid your healthcare bills? It also protects the privacy of your health information, but you as a patient can share your health information with anyone you want. Basically it puts each person in charge of their own health information.
A lot has changed since 1996. Namely, most hospitals and clinics now have electronic medical record systems that enable an increasingly large number of healthcare data assets to be stored and transmitted electronically. Two decades ago, a request for health information might have yielded a pile of photocopies after a long wait. Today it is possible that you can receive an electronic summary in a matter of minutes, depending on the capabilities that are supported by your provider. The bottom line is that many people are using technologies to manage their personal health information.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology has announced the release of The Guide to Getting and Using Your Health Records. If you don't already know how to access your health information, this is a great place to begin learning about how to do that. So what are you waiting for? Get your health data now and take control of your own well being.
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