Resources for Patients & Families (2024)

FAQs

What challenges might a patient encounter without the assistance of resources? ›

Final answer: Patients without resources may face challenges in accessing medical information, affording healthcare costs, and navigating the healthcare system. Medical assistants can help by providing educational resources, assisting with financial programs, and coordinating care with other providers.

The HIPAA Privacy Rule at 45 CFR 164.510(b) permits covered entities to share with an individual's family member, other relative, close personal friend, or any other person identified by the individual, the information directly relevant to the involvement of that person in the patient's care or payment for health care.

There are laws that prevent this. Patients that lack financial resources are usually put with a social worker that can help in enrolling the patient in the Medicaid program. Medicaid will then take care of these bills and any other medical bills for that patient.

Explain the difficulty and try to find common ground

The patient needs to have confidence and actually recognise that you are listening to them. For example, you can show understanding towards the patient's anxieties and worries, and reflect this understanding back to the patient.

To receive a copy of your loved one's health records as a Personal Representative, you typically must ask for it in writing. In some cases, the hospital or doctor's office may have a form to request the records. Even with the legal right, however, this can prove to be a challenging process.

Can a family member violate HIPAA? A family cannot violate HIPAA because family members are not required to comply with HIPAA.

Let's say that you're a doctor at a hospital and were talking to a patient's spouse about their condition. Are you allowed to hold a conversation about the patient? This scenario goes back to professional judgment. However, you're required to get permission from the patient before sharing any of their information.

Lack of necessary knowledge and competency for taking responsibilities caused nurses to try various ways to do a task. This means rework, fatigue, and wasting time.

Without that access, people live with undue pain and conditions that tend to worsen over time. Many in the United States do not have ready access to health care — and the barriers they face are not of their own making.

Not enough primary care physicians. Not enough medical schools. Urban blight and rural poverty limiting desirability of those neighborhoods for medical practices. No convenient and affordable transportation for poor patients to get to remote medical offices or hospitals.

What are challenges for patients that do not have access to all of the patient health records? ›

If a patient does not have access to all of their PHRs, then they may not be able to track their health data effectively and could suffer adverse effects as a result. Another challenge is that Patients who do not have access to all of the PHRs they may also have difficulty managing their medications and appointments.