What should a patient do if they find incorrect information in their medical record?

When a patient identifies incorrect information in their medical record, the appropriate action is to request an amendment of their Protected Health Information (PHI). This process allows the patient to formally notify the healthcare provider about the inaccuracies and seek corrections to ensure their medical records reflect accurate and truthful information.

Requesting an amendment is key to maintaining the integrity of a patient’s medical history, which is crucial for providing quality care. Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), individuals have the right to request corrections to their health information if they believe there is an error, promoting transparency and accountability in handling medical records.

While other actions like ignoring the error, seeking a refund, or pursuing legal action may seem like potential options, they do not address the core issue of correcting the medical record. Ignoring it does nothing to rectify the misinformation, and requesting a refund or seeking legal recourse does not facilitate the necessary updates to the patient's health record. Hence, the best and most constructive course of action is to formally request an amendment.