Patient-Consent Tools Are Available

Abstract

Federal health officials have developed videos and other tools to gain patient consent for sharing medical information electronically. While state laws and regulations create a patchwork of different requirements for when patient consent is required to release information for treatment, federal officials are encouraging physicians to develop a “meaningful consent” process that includes education about how the information is shared, gives patients time to review the educational materials, and allows them to change or revoke their consent at any time. The effort deals specifically with information shared through health information exchange organizations and is available at www.healthit.gov/providers-professionals/patient-consent-electronic-health-information-exchange/econsent-toolkit. “As patients become more engaged in their health care, it's vitally important that they understand more about various aspects of their choices when it relates to sharing their health in the electronic health information exchange environment,” Joy Pritts, ONC's chief privacy officer in the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, said in a statement.