Costs Limit Patient Access To Records

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

High fees prohibit many patients from obtaining copies of their own electronic medical records.

Even as interoperability and the spread of EHRs is improving physician access to patient information and helping improve overall patient outcomes, some patients are facing limited access due to high fees associated with the process according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The study found that, while the increasing availability of records in digital form should make access to a patient’s own medical record easier and less expensive, that is not necessarily the case. In some states, Minnesota, for example, fees exceed $1 per page of records patients resulting in patients paying more than $200 for 150 pages of medical records.

Authors write some states allow healthcare providers to include charges for costs associated with data verification and maintaining storage, and “at least 12 states allow [healthcare providers] to impose fees for search and retrieval, for which regulations explicitly prohibit charges.”

These fees can stand in the way of patient investment in their own health. Patients can be deterred from having inaccurate information corrected, getting second opinions, and donating data for research, the authors write. “Preventing this access restricts patient choice about where they seek their medical care, and ultimately undermines patient empowerment and patient centered care — both of which result in better care satisfaction and outcomes,” Daniel Walker, a researcher at Ohio State University, told Reuters.

And even though federal law preempts state law, the study’s authors write a number of states “continue to have outdated legacy records laws that serve no purpose other than to confuse the public, lawyers, and healthcare providers bout which access rules apply.” Thus, there is an urgent need to update state statutes.

The study suggests more states adopt a policy like Kentucky which requires providing patients the first copy of their medical record for free.