Access to PHI

As in California law, patients have a right to access, inspect and obtain a copy of their medical record. The Privacy Rule expands this to include the right to access, inspect and obtain a copy of protected health information (PHI) contained in a designated record set. A designated record set is the medical and billing record about an individual that we maintain and use to make decisions about individuals.

A patient must access the information contained in his or her designated record set through MyChart web portal account and/or the Health Information Management (HIM) Department. The HIM Department can coordinate/schedule a time for the patient to inspect and/or obtain a copy of the information contained in the patient's designated record set. If the patient requests a copy of his or her record, the HIM Department will have the patient sign a release. Occasionally, a patient may request medical records or laboratory results directly from his or her physician's office. A physician's office can use its discretion in releasing the information to the patient providing that the patient signs an Authorization for Release of Protected Health Information (PHI) form and includes a copy of the release in the patient's chart.

Information excluded from the Right of Access

An individual does not have the right to access PHI that is not part of the designated record set because the information is not used to make decisions about the individuals care e.g., quality assessments or improvement records, patient safety activity records, or business planning, development and management of records that are used for general business decisions more generally rather than to make decisions about individuals. 

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