Reading your medical records may be good for your health

The information-blocking rule is encouraging patients to access their physician notes. According to DesRoches, encouraging patients to read their notes could help improve their health.

With access to their own medical records, a patient can also tell when an issue is worth addressing, like being able to check typographical errors can be a good thing. About 20% of patients have detected errors that could have detrimental effects on their care. Many physicians consider errors to be clinically important.

Information blocking refers to the practice of not sharing notes with patients. The new federal rule defines failing to share these eight types of notes with patients as information blocking:

1. Consultation notes

2. Discharge summary notes.

3. History and physical.

4 .Imaging narratives.

5. Laboratory report narratives.

6. Pathology report narratives.

7. Procedure notes.

8. Progress notes.

Some exceptions to this rule apply to preparing psychotherapy notes and other information to prepare for a civil or criminal proceeding.

Learn about Information Blocking here or talk to your friendly registered HIT man for more information.