400-word minimum response, bringing in new facts (APA cited) with references pertinent to the facilitator’s presentation, and posing one question to the facilitator

Example of response (dont copy): Thank you for your facilitation on this week’s chapter! Your presentation was done very well and highlighted many important points regarding medical records. The topic of medical records is one that many patients could use more education on, as it is likely that not many patients likely do not have a full understanding of their rights regarding their medical records. One important point that you had mentioned is that patients do have a right to access their medical information. This right is granted to individuals under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which includes the right for individuals to receive copies of their health information. Although HIPAA grants this right to patients, not all medical facilities follow this law. Certain facilities were breaking this law through misinforming patients that it would take longer than 30 days for the patient to be granted access to their records, or attempting to charge the patient a large fee for their copies of the information. It has been explained by one healthcare facility that some providers do not want their patients to have easy access to their records or to learn how to access their records. The reason behind this is because the healthcare facilities do not want the patients to leave their facility or system. As it has been explained, it can be very difficult for patients to understand how they are able to get their records, especially for those who do not have much knowledge regarding the healthcare system. Therefore, it can be very beneficial for patients to gain more information on how to access their information. It is recommended that patient’s try to ensure that they are requesting the information from the right channels. Many healthcare facilities have online portals, which may allow for the patient to access certain information or to request more information. If the facility/provider does not have this portal, it is recommended that the patient look on their website to see if there is more information regarding the proper process to accessing their information. It is also very important that the individual has an understanding of what information that they need prior to requesting. This can prevent confusion between the patient and provider, and can make the process much faster and each individual can have a significant amount of health information. Lastly, it is important for the patient to follow up after requesting information. Healthcare providers work with many patients and following up can ensure that the patient’s request stays a priority. (Levine, 2018) Overall, requesting information can be a very stressful process.

My question for you is: What steps should a patient take if a healthcare facility refuses their request for a copy of their health information?

References

Levine, H. (2018, October 5). Getting your medical records is too hard, a new st