New HIPAA Guidance Removes Roadblocks to Patient Access: But at What Cost to Providers?
March 22, 2016
Year after year, the individual right of access to protected health information (PHI) continues to be in the top five complaints investigated by the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) with corrective action implemented. To combat this perceived non-compliance, last month OCR issued a fact sheet and a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) more fully explaining the right to access, including the fees that providers may charge for individuals exercising their right to receive copies of PHI. For the first time, OCR explicitly states that a per-page fee for producing electronic copies of PHI is prohibited.
