On Tuesday, the American Health Information Management Association unveiled a new tool aimed at enhancing patients’ understanding of personal health records, Healthcare IT News reports.
AHIMA posted the guide — called Understanding Your Medical Record — on its myPHR.com website, which launched in 2006 as a resource for consumers interested in maintaining PHRs (McCann, Healthcare IT News, 9/12).
AHIMA’s new tool provides information on:
The distinction between PHRs, which patients manage, and electronic health records, which are managed by health care providers;
PHR privacy and security; and
How PHR use can affect patient experience (Murphy, EHR Intelligence, 9/11).
AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon said, “Helping consumers understand the purpose of a medical record and how to access their clinical information will enhance the relationship between a patient and their doctor or health care provider” (Healthcare IT News, 9/12).
