Officials at the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) announced Tuesday a new online guide to help spur patient understanding of their medical records. 

The Understanding Your Medical Record guide was posted to myPHR.com, a resource for seniors, caregivers, physicians and parents. AHIMA launched the myPHR.com website in 2006 as a resource for consumers interested in maintaining their own personal health records.

The guide was announced at the second Consumer Health Summit facilitated by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC)

[See also: ONC launches video challenge to spur PHR use.]

“This is part of health literacy,” said Marsha Dolan, co-chair of the AHIMA Consumer Health Practice Council. “Because until you understand what you don’t know or what you need in order to learn something, you don’t really go looking for it.” 

In addition to the website resources, Dolan pointed out AHIMA’s national community education campaign, where volunteers would go out into the schools, organize conferences and speak to the public about the importance of accessing one’s personal health record. “There’s a lot of people out there who don’t understand they have the right to access that information,” Dolan added. 

“Helping consumers understand the purpose of a medical record and how to access their clinical information will enhance the relationship between a patient and their doctor or healthcare provider,” said AHIMA CEO Lynne Thomas Gordon. “By having access to your record, you can play a more active role in your care and enhance the ability to partner with your provider. As health information managers, we make sure the information in your record is confidential, complete and correct. We want to help patients access their information so that they can take better care of themselves.”

[See also: AHIMA, AHA back move to ICD-10 as other groups cite high costs.]

The new guide is one of several tools available for consumers on myPHR.com. Others include AHIMA’s Patient Bill of Rights and a variety of information related to the use of patient health records.