Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law on Electronic Medical Records

In acknowledging the importance of effective communication between medical care providers and consumers, especially given the co-morbidity of mental illness and physical illnesses like diabetes and cancer, the Bazelon Center believes that mental health consumers need to have access to and control of their medical records.  "The Bazelon Center . . .strongly believes that consumers with mental illness should  be able to access all of their health and mental health information.  Access to this information is not only fundamental to a person's sense of autonomy, it is also critical to health care improvement efforts that focus on involving patients in their own care and their learning to self-manage aspects of their health. Also, for consent to be fully informed, the consumer must have confidence that the information is accurate and complete and thus may want to know exactly what is being shared."  To learn more, visit the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.