If you build or use health software, a common misunderstanding is that the patient portal is the record. It's a view. Under HIPAA, patients generally have a right to access protected health information in a provider's or plan's designated record set, which can include much more than the portal screen shows.
Key takeaways:
- Portals (MedlinePlus: visits, results, billing, prescriptions, messaging) show what that system chooses to post.
- Outside consult notes, scanned documents and imaging often don't appear.
- If the information is kept electronically, patients can generally get an electronic copy in the form they request when it's readily producible.
- Covered entities must act within 30 calendar days. One 30-day extension is allowed with a written reason.
- Different portals at different doctors are why records end up scattered. Full explainer with HHS/OCR/ONC sources: https://www.trianglehealth.com/answers/patient-portal-vs-full-medical-record
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