Healthcare organizations fight EHR accessibility

As the Trump administration pushes forth plans to make electronic health records accessible through apps, medical organizations are pushing back, citing privacy concerns, according to The New York Times.

The opposition comes from several organizations and industry groups, including the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which have warned that requiring patient records to be accessible via data-sharing apps could open up “serious data abuses,” the NY Times reported.

The issue at heart is new patient record rules proposed from HHS that aim to make it easier for patients to access their medical records. The rules would specifically require healthcare providers to make the information available for free on digital apps. Healthcare stakeholders are reportedly meeting with policymakers to “push for changes to the rules.”

The report comes a few weeks after a separate report found 32 million patient records had been breached during the first six months of 2019.

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Amy Baxter

Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."

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