Answer :
A patient portal is a type of Personal Health Record (PHR), distinct from Electronic Health Records (EHRs) or Electronic Medical Records (EMRs), designed to provide patients with access to their own health information in a secure and private manner, also encompassing administrative functions.
A patient portal is a technology used to engage patients by providing access to personal health information and can streamline certain administrative tasks. In this context, it is a type of Personal Health Record (PHR). A PHR is a tool that patients can use to maintain and manage their health information in a private, secure, and confidential environment. It is distinct from an Electronic Health Record (EHR) or an Electronic Medical Record (EMR), which are used by healthcare providers for treatment and healthcare delivery purposes.
EHRs are electronic versions of paper charts and include a variety of health information such as medical history, diagnoses, medications, lab results, and more. These records can greatly improve the quality of patient care, especially in emergencies where sharing health information quickly is crucial. The federal government has emphasized the importance of protecting patient privacy by enacting rules such as the HIPAA Privacy Rule and HIPAA Security Rule, which apply to all forms of patient health information, ensuring it is only shared under legally authorized circumstances or with patient consent.
Therefore, operating and improving a patient portal as part of healthcare IT in a medical group will involve working with the technology that handles Personal Health Records and keeping in mind both the utility of the system for patient care and the importance of privacy and security. Enhancements to the patient portal could include improvements in user experience, security protocols, and facilitating broader access to personal health data for patients to manage their own care effectively.
the correct option is 3.
