ONC Issues Patient Guide to Accessing Health Records Electronically

The Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology today released an online guide to help patients and caregivers access and use their health information electronically. “It’s important that patients and their caregivers have access to their own health information so they can make decisions about their care and treatments,” said Don Rucker, M.D., national coordinator for health information technology. “This guide will help answer some of the questions that patients may have when asking for their health information.” Half of Americans reported being offered access to an online medical record by a provider or insurer in 2017, up from 42% in 2014, according to a new ONC data brief.