Medical packet, HIPPA rights

[quincy]

You're right - I don't know if Meaningful Use applies to PT offices. My bad.

But to just completely derail the thread and respond to matter of EHR requirements -

Healthcare providers who accept Medicare/Medicaid need to attest annually to their usage of EHRs. Failure to do so results in penalties from Medicare and Medicaid.

The first step in the process is to use an EHR which is certified for Meaningful Use. An EHR that does not meet MU would only be marketable to non-CMS or cash-only practices.

Further info, per CMS.gov:

"Background

"In 2011, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) established the Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs to encourage Eligible Professionals (EPs), Eligible Hospitals, and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to adopt, implement, upgrade (AIU), and demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology (CEHRT).

"The EHR Incentive Programs consist of three stages:

"Stage 1 set the foundation for the EHR Incentive Programs by establishing requirements for the electronic capture of clinical data, including providing patients with electronic copies of health information."

So, yes, MU-certified EHRs do need to have the capability to provide patients with electronic copies of their medical records.

(I've left out a bunch of details, and yes, I know that now it's MIPS/MACRA/MU - I'm just simplifying.)

Interesting.

I believe Washington state is currently upgrading their system and upgrades will not be completed until August of this year - but electronic records might be available if the PT office is an eligible provider.

 

[PleaseHelpMe111]

So you guys are saying get the paper copy by either personally handing them my old packet and have them check it over for all information or go in and ask for the documents. If I demand them to email it to me they are not obligated to so. Is this correct? If I bring a flash drive for them to use, I'm afraid they will not do so. My PT was not billing or notifying my health insurance of my treatment so I don't know how that would affect this.

 

[cbg]

We are saying that HIPAA prohibits them from sending the files electronically without them being sent securely. HIPAA does not guarantee you the right to have them sent in any fashion you wish, as you appeared to be thinking with your question.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

That's weird. One thread with two posts showed up the yesterday when I looked and now I see all of them.

 

[quincy]

That's weird. One thread with two posts showed up the yesterday when I looked and now I see all of them.

When you go to a poster's profile, you need to click on "threads" and not "posts" to see the threads started by a poster from the time they joined the forum. Only the most recent posts show up on the profile page itself.

And a note to Henbob: There was nothing objectionable about your posts.