Care Everywhere at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest

Starting November 1, 2023, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest is moving to a widely used electronic medical record system called Epic. If you are a patient with us, you are automatically enrolled in an Epic health information exchange platform called Care Everywhere so that your medical records can be securely made available to your doctors and other health care providers with your permission.

Health information exchange networks, like those utilizing Care Everywhere, improve the quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness of health care. Care Everywhere allows any of your providers using Epic to access health information about you from your other providers, including Planned Parenthood, that use Epic for electronic medical record-keeping, and helps in the following ways:

Your providers may get a more complete picture of your medical history and have it all in one place, reducing the likelihood of conflicting diagnoses, prescriptions, and treatment plans.

Your providers quickly get your health information. This means your providers spend less time searching for, and calling and faxing each other to obtain your information. You may avoid unnecessary return visits if your providers have near-immediate access to health information necessary for your care.

Your providers may not need to order tests or procedures that you have already completed at another medical facility.

We Value Your Privacy

Once you are enrolled, your Care Everywhere account will be set to “Point of Care”. This means providers that want to view details about the health care you have received at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest may ask you to sign an authorization stating that you approve letting them view this information when you are being seen at their clinic or medical center. Signing an authorization will grant them access to view your Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest medical records only on the day of your visit. Without your authorization, the provider will only see that you have records at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest but will not be able to view any additional information in your records.

What Does This Mean to You as a Patient?

By participating in health information exchange, doctors and other health care personnel are permitted to use and share your medical records through technology such as Care Everywhere only for purposes permitted by the federal HIPAA regulations and other privacy laws.

Your electronic health information is only accessible to doctors and other health care personnel who provide you with medical care. Your electronic health information is stored only within each treating provider’s secure electronic medical record system.

This means that Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest may share your health information with other providers, as long as those providers are actually involved in providing you care.

What Information Is “Exchanged”?

Point of Care

This is the default setup. Health care providers using Care Everywhere will be able to see that Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest is one of your providers. During your visit, you will have the option to 1) have access to your medical records remain set to Point of Care, 2) opt-in to allow all or certain providers to access your information without your authorization, or 3) completely opt-out of Care Everywhere.

Opt-In

If you decide to opt-in and allow access to a certain provider or all providers that use Epic, those providers will be able to view lists of your ongoing health conditions, medications, and allergies during and beyond the day of your visit. Your lab and procedure results and physician notes can be exchanged with some, but not all, Care Everywhere participants.

Opt-Out

If you decide to opt out of Care Everywhere completely, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest will not show up in the list of providers that have previously provided you care. You can choose to opt out of Care Everywhere at any time without any effect on your access to care at Planned Parenthood. Your opt-out decision will apply to Care Everywhere from the date your opt-out is initiated in the system and remain in effect going forward.

You may choose one of the following four methods to notify us of your decision to opt out of Care Everywhere:

1. Send us a message via your MyChart Patient Portal if you are enrolled.

2. Request a change of enrollment at your next Planned Parenthood visit.

3. Email our Medical Records Department at [email protected].

4. Contact a staff member at our Medical Records Department at 619-881-4530.

FAQ

If I completely opt out of Care Everywhere, does this mean my health information will never be shared without my permission?

If you would like to keep your Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest electronic medical records private, opting out of Care Everywhere is the best way to do so. However, some information in your medical records might be disclosed to health care providers and other entities outside of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest when permitted or required by HIPAA and other applicable privacy laws. Some examples include faxing your medical records to another provider for continuation of care, sending medical records to your insurance company for evaluation of your coverage, providing positive laboratory results to public health entities. If you have any questions about our disclosures to other entities, please reach out to us via MyChart, email, or phone using the contract information provided above.

Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest wants our patients to feel empowered to make decisions about the sharing of their medical records. If you decide to change your enrollment status at any time, we will happily assist you.

If I opt out of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest's Care Everywhere, does that mean I have opted out of all outside health information exchange networks?

No. Opting out of Care Everywhere at Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest does not opt you out of other health information exchange networks, such as those operated by providers that do not use Epic, or by a regional or state health information organization (HIO). If you wish to opt out of health information exchange provided by an HIO or another provider, you are responsible for arranging to do so with that entity. By opting out of Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest's Care Everywhere platform, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest will not share your electronic medical records with outside providers that request this information through Care Everywhere. However, your medical records may be sent to your outside providers by other means, such as fax or mail, if requested by those providers.