Operating a medical facility involves many moving parts, from enhanced workplace protocols to mandatory legal requirements. One of the most important aspects of running a healthcare business is compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
HIPAA compliance consists of multiple moving parts as well, involving lots of regulations and different components. Within HIPAA’s Privacy Rule is the Right of Access Initiative, which requires covered entities to grant individuals access to their health information upon request. Aside from being a mandatory HIPAA compliance component, patient access offers many benefits that enhance patients’ care. Explore the benefits of patients’ access to their medical records and improve your facility and services.
Patient Trust
Health records include detailed information on diagnoses and plans of care. Patient access allows your patients to expand their medical knowledge, enhancing your patients’ health literacy and the benefits it offers. Patient access builds your patients’ trust in your medical office as it keeps them in the loop and removes any secrecy.
The more trust and transparency patients have in your facilities, the greater their loyalty and the better their overall experience with your business. Establishing trust with your patients makes your appointments more enjoyable and strengthens your relationships. Patient health record access leads to patient trust.
Information Accuracy
A second set of eyes makes a huge difference in many scenarios, from proofreading written work to packing for a holiday. An external point of view helps identify mistakes, making sure that mistakes don’t get overlooked.
The Right of Access Initiative allows patients to look over their information and make sure everything looks accurate and aligns with the services they receive. In some scenarios, patients can even request information changes to provide medical teams with better clarity and keep records accurate.
Increased Patient Engagement
Keeping patients in the loop and providing them with PHI access increases their involvement in their care. Feeling involved and engaged with their health encourages patients to remain active, continue receiving care, and better look after themselves.
Enhanced Patient and Provider Communication
Communication, especially between patients and providers, plays a critical role in healthcare. Concise and clear communication keeps everyone on the same page and ensures everyone makes conscientious, informed decisions.
PHI access enhances patient and provider communication, providing patients with clear and comprehensible hard copies or electronic copies of their health records. Patients with language barriers can also use their medical record copies to properly inform new providers without fear of miscommunication.
Patient-Centered Care
Enabling patients’ access to their PHI shifts a medical office’s priority and procedures to be more patient-centered. Well-informed patients can collaborate with their providers to ensure they receive the best care catered to their specific needs. Patients’ PHI access also allows patients to explore other health resources that can further improve their care.
Patients’ access to their health information comes with many security risks, but doing so—with the right security protocols in place—improves healthcare in many ways. Giving patients access to their medical records offers many benefits that enhance your business’s and patients’ experiences.
