A project of the George Washington University's Hirsh Health Law and Policy Program and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Medical Records Collection, Retention, and Access
Medical records are those records kept on individual patients by providers that include health history, diagnostic information, and provider notes, among other pieces of data. Medical records can be kept on paper or electronically. This topic covers records maintenance as a condition of provider licensure, recordkeeping requirements for a variety of facilities, and laws governing record retention and ownership, access to records, data collection, and storage and destruction.
The Office of Civil Rights (OCR) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has just issued new guidance on how covered entities might meet the patient information de-identification standard under the Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). De-identification is...
On Nov. 26, the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology’s Health IT Policy Committee (HITPC), which advises the government on its electronic health record incentive program, published recommendations for Meaningful Use Stage 3 requirements. These requirements will...
On August 23, 2012, CMS released the final rule governing Stage 2 of the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs. These programs were authorized by the HITECH Act, part of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The final rule establishes the Stage 2 criteria that eligible professionals and eligible hospitals must meet in order to participate in and receive incentives through the EHR Incentive Programs.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Attorney General Eric Holder announced a new initiative to prevent health care fraud. This new arrangement allows state officials to partner with private insurance organizations and other health care anti-fraud groups.
This news release describes a pilot program to take place in Indiana and Ohio, that aims to measure the effects of expanding and improving access to prescription drug monitoring programs (PMDPs)in order to reduce prescription drug abuse.
Author: Leon Rodriguez, Director, Office of Civil Rights
Publication: Office of Civil Rights
This memo released by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Civil Rights was put out to educate consumers of health care of their legal right to access their own medical records.
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