On April 5, 2021, Information Blocking Regulations, part of the 21st Century Cures Act, went into effect. The regulations mandate that patients have increased access to their electronic health information (EHI) through the EHR patient portal or an application of the patient’s choice.
While many practices and facilities provide some patient information now, the Act specifies what information must be provided and available to patients electronically.
If electronic health information is requested, it requires that you provide this to the patient in an electronic format unless an exception applies.
We encourage you to contact your EHR to confirm that it complies with the Cures Act.
Based on the above information, you are required to provide your patients access to the patient portal and to their medical records. The limitation or refusal to allow your patients access to the patient portal, and the below types of medical records, can be considered information blocking.
Access should specifically include at a minimum (if notated in patient chart):
Allergies and Intolerances
Assessment and Plan of Treatment
Care Team Member(s)
Clinical Notes
Goals
Health Concerns
Immunizations
Laboratory – Tests and Values/Results
Medications
Patient Demographics (does include race, ethnicity, preferred language, and email address)
Problems
Procedures
Provenance – Author timestamp and organization
Smoking status
Unique Device Identifier(s) for a Patient’s Implantable Device(s)
Vital Signs (includes BP, height, weight, HR, RR, body temp, pulse ox, inhaled O2 Concentration)
Please view this PDF for resources for reference for your practice.
Other notable resources can be also found at:
Please do not hesitate to contact your TTG Healthcare Advisors, LLC, with additional questions and how to incorporate the regulations into your practice.