Introduction
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) was established to protect the privacy and confidentiality of patient information. However, some may argue that HIPAA restrictions hinder telehealth physicians from accessing patients’ health records (Reed et al., 2019). This raises the question of whether telemedicine companies such as Teledoc, MDLIVE, and American Well should be authorized to review patients’ health records before initiating virtual consultations.
Discussion
Proponents of allowing telemedicine companies to access patient records argue that this can improve the quality and safety of care provided during telemedicine consultations. In some cases, doctors’ access to electronic health records (EMRs) during telemedicine consultations can improve the accuracy of diagnosis (Fadahunsi et al., 2019). Access to EHRs, which contain vital information such as medical history, allergies, medications, and previous treatments, can aid physicians in making informed decisions about diagnosis and treatment while also reducing the risk of medical errors and adverse events.
On the other hand, many patients may not like the fact that their sensitive data such as medical history can be provided to third parties from the registry without their knowledge. This could be avoided if telemedicine providers requested such data through the patient and with their permission. Thus, it would be possible to expand the possibilities of treatment and at the same time preserve the ethical standards of behavior of doctors. Secure communication channels, password-protected access to records, and restricted access to patient records are some of the measures that can be used to safeguard patient privacy and confidentiality.
Conclusion
In conclusion, HIPAA was created to protect the privacy and confidentiality of patients, and therefore allowing telemedicine companies access to patient records prior to consultations is a material violation of their rules. Some of the unproven benefits of improving the quality of care should not be a reason to release sensitive patient data. Telemedicine companies must ensure compliance with HIPAA rules and refrain from introducing requests for personal data into their practices.
References
Fadahunsi, K. P., O’Connor, S., Chiang, H. Y., & Chiauzzi, E. (2019). EHR integration with telemedicine improves patient care: A review. Telemedicine and e-Health, 25(3), 167-172. Web.
Reed, M. E., Huang, J., Parikh, R., Millman, A., Ballard, D. W., Barr, I., & Wargon, C. (2019). Patient–provider video telemedicine integrated with clinical care: patient experiences. Annals of internal medicine, 171(3), 222-224. Web.