21st Century Cures Act

What’s happening with my medical information?

Beginning March 22, 2021, immediate access to more information in your electronic medical record was made available. This change enabled you to see additional clinical results and clinician notes in your Hartford HealthCare MyChartPLUS account, as soon as they were complete.

This immediate access to information is part of the 21st Century Cures Act, an effort that Hartford Healthcare took to ensure transparency and fulfill our vision of being most trusted for personalized coordinated care. The law is aimed at providing patients with faster access to health information in their electronic health record (like MyChartPLUS), and we want to give patients the information they need to manage their health and talk with their healthcare providers about their health issues.

What will I be able to see sooner?

Your clinical results and many types of clinician notes will now be released as soon as they’re final. This means you will be able to read:

• notes related to your visits (office, hospital, procedure and operative),
• lab results, pathology and radiology results with their images,
• progress notes entered by doctors,
• telephone notes entered by your provider and nurses,
• … and more. 

Are there any exceptions to what I can see?

There are a few well-defined exceptions. Mainly these concern sharing information that might cause significant harm to a patient’s life, physical safety or privacy, or that are necessary to comply with other laws. For a detailed list and explanation of what information may be blocked, please view this document:

InformationBlockingExceptions.pdf

What if I don’t want to see a result ahead of my provider reviewing it?

If you and your healthcare provider decide that select information should not be released before the provider reviews it, your provider can make that exception on a case-by-case basis and ensure your wishes are honored. This will hold results for 3 calendar days, allowing for your provider to review and contact you to discuss.

How will health information for minors or Proxy Access be affected?

Proxy access (allowing someone else access to a patient’s health record) and the ability for a parent or legal guardian to access their minor’s medical record through their own MyChartPLUS account will remain available. Adolescents and their providers can block sensitive information from a proxy for treatment that is provided without the consent of a parent or guardian.

What does this change mean to me?

For current MyChartPLUS users, your results are available to you as soon as the lab makes them electronically available. Now your pathology and radiology results will be available to you as soon as the radiologist completes their review. Most other information is posted quickly on your MyChartPLUS record already and that will continue. Scanned documents are now viewable. As always, your healthcare provider will be reviewing any new results and are the best at interpreting them against your current health history.

Remember, MyChartPLUS messages sent to providers over the weekend will likely be seen on Monday, when they return to the office.

What does this change mean for my provider?

Patient Requests for EHI Export

Effective December 31, 2023, mandated by the 21st Century Cures Act, patients will have the right to request and download a comprehensive digital copy of their Electronic Health Information (EHI). Your data will be available in a machine-readable format through an accessible hyperlink provided to you.

The Release of Information team in the Health Information Management Department will process approved requests within five (5) business days at no charge.

Access and fill out the “Authorization to Disclose/Obtain Health Information” form, located on the Medical Records/Health Information Management Department request for medical record copies webpage.

Requests can be made in person or by email/phone:

Don’t have a MyChartPLUS account?

If you are not enrolled in MyChartPLUS, consider creating an account to access your electronic medical record. This is a terrific opportunity to have immediate access to all your healthcare information and better partner with your trusted healthcare provider.  For more information on how to access MyChartPLUS, visit https://hartfordhealthcare.org/mychart or scan the QR code.