You might have not noticed in the last blog post that there is a provision in the Pennsylvania Notice regarding electronic health records. The Notice does not establish a fee for electronic health records. Rather it states that the cost for production of health records in an electronic format shall not exceed the cost of the labor costs associated with the production, and that the provider may not include the cost associated with searching and retrieving the records, which his $21.69 according to the schedule. The text of that provision is as follows:
a. Electronic health record. Under 42 U.S.C.A. § 17935(e), if a health care provider uses or maintains health records in an electronic format with respect to protected health information of an individual, the individual shall have the right to obtain from the health care provider a copy of the information in an electronic format. The individual also has a choice to direct the health care provider to transmit electronically a copy of the health record directly to an entity or person designated by the individual, provided that any choice is clear, conspicuous and specific. Any fee that the health care provider may impose for providing this information (or a summary or explanation of this information) in an electronic format shall not be greater than the labor costs in responding to the request. The Department of Health and Human Services has stated that the labor costs may not include costs associated with searching for and retrieving the requested information.
