Information blocking can create barriers to timely and effective patient data exchange. Even with secure HIPAA compliant email providers, practices still use methods to restrict the information transfer process. Email communication can often be a useful tool to facilitate information blocking practices.
Intentional delay in responding
Information blocking is a tactic of delaying responses to emails that contain patient information. This can have consequences in healthcare, leading to misdiagnosis, delayed treatment or other adverse outcomes. It undermines efficient communication caused by organizational policies, individual actions, or systemic inefficiencies.
See also: What is information blocking?
Selective non-disclosure
By selectively choosing what information to disclose, healthcare providers or administrative staff can inadvertently create gaps in a patient’s medical history or treatment information available to other care providers. This can lead to an incomplete understanding of the patient’s condition, cause a disruption in the continuity of care, and result in subsequent healthcare providers making decisions based on this incomplete data.
Overly restrictive email encryption
Overly complex or incompatible email encryption can cause information blocking in healthcare. When healthcare organizations use encryption standards that are either too complex or not in line with what other organizations use, it creates communication barriers. For example, if a healthcare provider uses a unique encryption method for their emails, other providers or relevant healthcare entities may struggle to decrypt and access the information.
Inadequate or incomplete information transfer
Information blocking can occur when Electronic Health Information (EHI) is sent via email in a proprietary file format that the recipient can't open without acquiring specific software. This creates a barrier to accessing and sharing EHI.
Unnecessarily restrictive email policies
Some organizations may implement specific policies that include complex internal rules about the types of information that can be shared via email, or who is authorized to send and receive health information within an organization. These policies might restrict the sharing of EHI to certain high-ranking officials or departments, unnecessarily bottlenecking the flow of information and delaying its exchange.
Non-responsive or evasive communication
There is a type of information blocking where legitimate requests for health information sent via email are inadequately responded to, or the response deliberately avoids fulfilling the actual request. There are different ways this can happen. For instance, when a patient or another healthcare provider requests specific health information, the entity holding the information, such as a healthcare provider or an institution, might ignore the request, provide a delayed response, or send a reply that does not address the request directly. This tactic is particularly obstructive as it creates an illusion of compliance while preventing the effective use and exchange of EHI.
See also: Solutions to combat information blocking
Kirsten Peremore
