Promoting Interoperability

Sensitive Information and the Electronic Patient Record

6524
Sensitive Information and the Electronic Patient Record

HITEQ Center, June 2023

With nearly 100% of community health centers utilizing electronic health records (EHR) to care for patients, focus has pivoted from implementation and new workflow development to enhancement in order to drive value and reflect patient needs and population trends. EHR technology presents potential opportunities and significant constraints. Providers frequently document and share potentially sensitive information in the EHR, such as risk for intimate partner violence (IPV), consistent offers of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), or patient sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI). Capturing such information can be immensely helpful in providing care tailored to individuals’ needs, but additionally challenges teams to develop workflows that keep the data private rather than risk harm to patients through improper or unintended disclosure.

This brief resource describes the risks and benefits of differing strategies to capture and steward sensitive information while emphasizing privacy and accessibility. These examples are shared to facilitate health center teams in developing workflows that are most appropriate for their settings and patient populations.

Download the resource in the Documents to Download Section below.

Documents to download

Previous Article FAQ: How can health centers comply with both 42 CFR Part 2 and the Information Blocking Rule?
Next Article Health Center Guidelines for Implementing FHIR and the Information Blocking Rule

Need Assistance?

Would you like more assistance regarding Meaningful Use support or in using any of the included resource sets?

  Request Support

The Quadruple Aim

Quadruple Aim

A Conceptual Framework

Improving the U.S. health care system requires four aims: improving the experience of care, improving the health of populations, reducing per capita costs and improving care team well-being. HITEQ Center resources seek to provide content and direction aligned with the goals of the Quadruple Aim

Learn More

Acknowledgements

This resource collection was compiled by the HITEQ staff with input provided by the HITEQ Advisory Committee and partners who have shared their experiences.

Looking for something different or have something you think could assist?

HITEQ works to provide top quality resources, but know your needs can be specific. If you are just not finding the right resource or have a highly explicit need then please use the Request a Resource button below so that we can try to better understand your requirements.

If on the other hand you know of a great resource already or have one that you have developed then please get in touch with us by clicking on the Share a Resource button below. We are always on the hunt for tools that can better server Health Centers.

REQUEST A RESOURCE  SHARE A RESOURCE