A discharged patient emails a coder directly asking for a full copy of the inpatient record. What should the coder do?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Patients do have a right to their records—but a coder is not the ROI desk. Hand the request to the official release process instead of freelancing an email dump. Right of access still needs the right doorway.
Full Explanation
When a discharged patient emails a civic hospital coder asking for a full inpatient record copy, the coder must route the request through the facility's designated release-of-information process rather than independently emailing records. Patients have rights of access, but coders are not the ROI desk; public trust depends on controlled, logged release. Attaching an entire EHR export from personal email bypasses identity verification, accounting, and secure transmission standards. Printing the record and leaving it at the information desk without logging abandons chain of custody. Denying that patients have any right to access their records contradicts HIPAA access rights. Exam caveat: right of access is real and must travel the approved ROI pathway. Operational check: forward the request to ROI, avoid attaching records from coding inboxes, confirm patient identity per policy, and document handoff so access timelines and accounting obligations are met. Sustain civic accountability by pairing correct code assignment with transparent denial, quality, and privacy escalation paths so public reporting and payment integrity move together. Re-read the authenticated record before finalizing whenever tools, payers, or dashboards push a result the documentation does not support.