Access to Your Health Information in the Electronic Health Records System
Soon the province of BC will be finished building its electronic health records system, or e-Health, which is intended to be a province-wide system for storing every citizen’s medical information and making it accessible from anywhere in the province. Every citizen will have his or her own personal “electronic health record” or EHR. See e-Health, [below] for more information.
If you want access to your EHR, you should be able to make a request through the Ministry of Health, under FOIPPA.
Right to Request Correction to Your Record
The law also requires your doctor to make sure the information in your medical records is accurate and complete and up-to-date. If you think your doctor made a mistake in your medical records, you have a right to ask her to correct it. The doctor will not make the correction, but she will make a note of your request on the document you want corrected. This is because other laws do not allow a doctor to change a medical record. If your doctor requires you to make a formal request, you may wish to rely on PIPA as the authority for your request.
Your doctor should have a system in place to protect the privacy of your health information. Even though the law is now more than four years old, not all doctors have yet changed their office procedures to comply with the law. Nevertheless, you still should be able to get a copy of your medical record when you ask for it. Your doctor may ask you to fill out a form.