etHIN’s Perspective on Patient Opt Outs, Requests for Data, and Changes to Medical Records

By: Pam Matthews, etHIN CEO/Executive Director

Tennessee residents are automatically opted in for sharing their medical data among healthcare providers as permitted under HIPAA. Patients have the right to ‘opt out’ or not allow sharing of their protected health information among their healthcare providers, including providers who participate in East Tennessee Health Information Network (etHIN), a community health information exchange. The patient also has the right to opt back in for medical records sharing. This is addressed extensively in etHIN’s Participating Provider Policies, which must be adhered to by all providers using the etHIN network. etHIN’s Participating Provider Policies state that if a patient wishes to opt out, they must make their request directly to their healthcare providers. etHIN does not manage patient consent nor does it have the capability to verify an individual’s identity.

From time to time, patients contact etHIN to make an opt out request, to request changes to their medical records, or to ask for an audit of providers who have viewed their medical records. In all instances, etHIN refers the patient back to their provider. etHIN does not ask for patient specific information nor does etHIN try to verify that the patient is under the care of an etHIN provider participant when such a request is received.

etHIN will always refer the patient directly to their provider in the following scenarios:

Opt Out Request: It is the etHIN Participant’s responsibility to manage patient consent and not send ‘opted out’ patient data to etHIN. The opt out process begins when the patient notifies their providers of their request. The opt out request is active when the pa- tient completes their provider’s Opt Out process. Records submitted to etHIN prior to a patient’s opt out date are not removed from etHIN since the opt out was not in effect during the time the records were submitted. Opting out with one provider does not mean the patient has opted out with all of their providers. The patient must opt out with each of their providers individually.

Audit of Medical Record Lookups: A patient has a right to know who has viewed their medical records in etHIN. If a patient contacts etHIN asking for this information, they are referred to their providers. Upon request, etHIN will work directly with its participating providers to provide the necessary information to support the provider in fulfilling the request.

Request for a Copy of Medical Records: etHIN does not provide a patient portal or other similar services directly to patients or consumers. Patients who contact etHIN requesting a copy of their medical records are referred to their provider to fulfill this request. etHIN will assist its participating providers when requested.

Request for Changes in Medical Records: As an HIE, etHIN does not alter, change, or remove patient data received from its participating providers. Patients must contact their providers directly to request changes or alterations to their records. When requested by the participant provider, etHIN will work with the provider to confirm that any submitted record changes are reflected in etHIN.

If you have any questions about etHIN’s role pertaining to your patients, please contact us at 865-691-8433.

Knoxville Area Project Access would like to give a big shout out and thank you to the band Whiskey Compass for selecting KAPA as their benefit nonprofit from the Sixteenth Ultimate Battle of Physician Bands. “Doc Rock for Health” is an annual fundraiser for local health related nonprofits. KAPA is honored that Whiskey Compass supports KAPA to make a positive im-

By: Donna Brunson, KAMA President

KAMA has been busy impacting the welfare of our community and promoting health education programs while encouraging friendships among our members.

At our December meeting, our Health Promotions Committee led by Sheila Barnett and Robyn Doiron organized a holiday gift bag drive for Vine School Health Center. In total, KAMA donated 840 individual personal care items to fill 100 bags that were so very much appreciated by the staff and their patients! In addition, KAMA members provide supplies for the Vine School Health Center as an ongoing project.

KAMA is also excited to have resumed our First Hand outreach at the Ronald McDonald House. Participation had been suspended due the pandemic. Members led by Juliann Chavez and Tom Walker are glad to be able to once again prepare a monthly meal for the residents.

In January, members responded to an emergency call from the MDC to help assemble naloxone kits. Several members have also at-tended naloxone administration classes conducted by MDC.

Our Holiday Sharing card raised $8962.50 that will be dispersed to our four endowed scholarships: UT Medical $2469.78, UTK Nursing $2513.10, TN Wesleyan Nursing $1673.17 and our newest endowment, Quillen $2326.45. Special thanks to Cynthia Gash and Virginia Bieber for their dedication to this program and to the Knoxville medical community who so generously donate to these scholarships.

In January, Doc Rock returned with a bang. Well over 500 people pact in the communities we serve. Since 2006, KAPA has coordinated more than $385 million dollars in donated care to the uninsured in East Tennessee. KAPA is a program of the Knoxville Academy of Medicine Foundation. attended this year’s event raising more than $65,000 for local charities and medical scholarships. Doctor Zoster and the Pox playing for Metropolitan Drug Coalition was the winner. KAPA, Family Justice Center, Interfaith Health Clinic, and St. Mary’s Mobile Health Clinic will also receive a portion of the proceeds. I would like to thank all of the doctor bands that participated: B.B.S, No Recall, Remedy and Whiskey Compass. Thank you for putting on a great show and for your continued support of KAMA. A special thank you to our event sponsors and to all who came out to support Doc Rock. Lastly, I would like to thank event chairperson, Mary Weiss, and her team of volunteers for planning a fantastic evening.

For more information on KAPA and partnership opportunities please visit kapatn.org.

The Doctor’s Day Luncheon returned this year thanks to the hard work of Ellen Evancho and Robin Hutchins. This year’s event was held at Sequoyah Presbyterian Church on March 29.

Our membership drive led by Jackie Booth and Jacque Prince began in January. Membership forms are available on our website: kamalliance.org and can be printed and mailed into the KAMA PO Box. Membership hosted a “Just for Fun” event in February at Top Golf and plans a KAMA Kulture evening in March where members will share food, customs, and music from their diverse backgrounds.

Our annual KAMA Retreat was held at Ancient Lore Village April 2-3, 2023. At the meeting, President-Elect Jen Ollis shared her vision for the coming year.

The Knoxville Academy of Medicine and Region 7 recently participated in the 189th TMA Annual House of Delegates Meeting in Nashville. We are pleased to announce that Region 7 once again had the largest turnout of delegates in attendance, ensuring that physicians’ voices were heard from East Tennessee. This an- nual event is our opportunity to help shape the direction of the state organization by presenting resolutions that affect the practice of medicine and patient advocacy. If you would be interested in attending as a delegate in 2024, contact Kim Weaver, KAM CEO at kweaver@knoxvillemedicine.org.

Match Day is a highly anticipated event for medical students across the country as it determines where they will continue their medical training as residents. This year, the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHS) Knoxville campus celebrated Match Day 2023 in a unique way. Rather than a traditional ceremony, the students gathered at Maple Hall Bowling Lanes to await their match results.

This year's Match Day at UTHS Knoxville was a memorable event that brought students, families, and faculty together to celebrate the hard work and dedication of the medical students. All UTHS Knoxville campus students matched with residency programs and 2 of the students will remain in Knoxville! Congratulations to the UTHS Knoxville Class of 2023 on their successful match results!

The Tennessee Community Resource Network (TCRN) is a new initiative of the Knoxville Academy of Medicine Foundation in partnership with Knoxville Area Project Access and the East Tennessee Health Information Network (etHIN).

TCRN is a state-wide referral platform to connect community based organizations, traditional health care providers, and behavioral health providers in order to enhance the health and well-being of Tennesseans. The initiative was developed after experiencing positive health outcomes for uninsured patients enrolled in the KAPA program by connecting them with both medical and social needs.

Much work by KAMF, etHIN, and the community has gone into the development of this platform. In the last year TCRN has formed a Community Advisory Committee, formed a Community Consent workgroup, developed and finalized a TCRN Community Consent, developed and finalized a TCRN Data Sharing Agreement, launched the TCRN platform, integrated with etHIN’s Master Person Index, on-boarded and trained organizations/users, entered our first clients, and have continued to provide much outreach and awareness on TCRN.

There is still work to be done including an Admission, Discharge, Transfer (ADT) integration, a Single Sign On integration with etHIN, a resource directory integration, and much more!

For more information on TCRN or for pricing, contact Danielle Sims at dsims@knoxvillemedicine.org or 865-531-2766 ext. 2430.