Consumer Resources

California eHealth Initiative

http://ehealth.ca.gov/MakingHIEHappen/Patients.aspx
Health information Technology now makes it simple for patients to get dramatically better care through secure and confidential use of Electronic Health Records (EHRs) instead of paper medical records.

California Office of Privacy Protection

http://www.privacyprotection.ca.gov/
California is the first state to have an agency dedicated to promoting and protecting the privacy rights of consumers. The Office of Privacy Protection was created by legislation in 2000 and opened in 2001. Its mission is to identify consumer problems in the privacy area and encourage the development of fair information practices.

Center for Disease Control and Prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is an online source for credible health information. Get information on diseases and conditions, emergency preparedness and response, environmental health, and more….

Compare Care Quality

http://www.healthcare.gov/compare/
The Federal government has created tools to allow people to compare a variety of quality measures by hospitals, nursing homes, home health and dialysis facilities.

Office for Civil Rights

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/
Federal civil rights laws and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule, together protect your fundamental rights of nondiscrimination and privacy. The Privacy Rule protects the privacy of your health information; it says who can look at and receive your health information, and gives you specific rights over that information.

Personal Health Record (PHR)

http://myphr.com/
MyPHR.com is a Web site sponsored by the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) as a public education service to help you better understand and manage your personal health record. The Web site includes an explanation of:

  • Why you should have a PHR
  • Easy steps to create your PHR
  • PHR privacy rights and common privacy myths
  • How to avoid medical identity theft
  • Health Literacy
  • Useful tools and resources