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Expanding Patients' Property Rights in Their Medical Records

Author

Listed:
  • Laurence C. Baker

    (Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University, and the National Bureau of Economic Research)

  • M. Kate Bundorf

    (Department of Health Research and Policy, Stanford University, and the National Bureau of Economic Research)

  • Daniel P. Kessler

    (Graduate School of Business, Law School, and Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and the National Bureau of Economic Research)

Abstract

Although doctors and hospitals own their patients' medical records, state and federal laws require that they provide patients with a copy at "reasonable cost." We examine the effects of state laws that cap the fees that doctors and hospitals are allowed to charge patients for a copy of their records. We test whether these laws affected patients' propensity to switch doctors and the prices of new- and existing-patient visits. We also examine the effect of laws on hospitals' adoption of electronic medical record (EMR) systems. We find that patients from states adopting caps on copy fees were significantly more likely to switch doctors, and that hospitals in states adopting caps were significantly more likely to install an EMR. We also find that laws did not have a systematic, significant effect on prices. © 2015 American Society of Health Economists and Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Suggested Citation

  • Laurence C. Baker & M. Kate Bundorf & Daniel P. Kessler, 2015. "Expanding Patients' Property Rights in Their Medical Records," American Journal of Health Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 1(1), pages 82-100, Winter.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:amjhec:v:1:y:2015:i:1:p:82-100
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    File URL: https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1162/AJHE_a_00004
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    Cited by:

    1. Amalia R. Miller, 2023. "Privacy of Digital Health Information," NBER Chapters, in: The Economics of Privacy, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    EMR; medical records; state;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I11 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Analysis of Health Care Markets
    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health

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