Improving Electronic Health Record Access for People Incarcerated in the United States

Abstract

Around the United States, carceral medical records are often sequestered from incarcerated patients and their external physicians, hampering the provision of both acute and transitional care. Despite laws meant to ensure better ownership and portability of electronic health records (EHRs), many carceral institutions have not implemented interoperable systems, nor do incarcerated patients have easy access to their medical information. These issues can compromise care for a patient population that experiences higher rates of many diseases, hospitalization, and death compared with the general public. This article provides a review of health information legislation by a multidisciplinary group of attorneys and physicians with a targeted literature review discussing the current state of medical record access for patients behind bars, the health dangers associated with this lack of access, and solutions to improve the equity of EHR access.