The 21st Century Cures Act sought to leverage electronic health information systems to empower patients as participants in care by promoting access to and sharing of health information—except when release met one of the “exceptions” to “information blocking” provided in regulation. Efforts to avoid prohibited information blocking have resulted in immediate release of medical test results. But enabling patients to have immediate access to uninterpreted results without the benefit of their physicians’ interpretation can create confusion and distress for patients and undermine the physician-patient relationship. This case study examines recent changes in regulation that permit release of information to be delayed under certain conditions and explores what those changes mean for physicians and their patients.
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ACP Ethics and Professionalism
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Authors, Case History
Thomas A. Bledsoe, MD, MACP
Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University
Providence, Rhode Island
Deepti Pandita, MD, FACP, FAMIA
Hennepin Healthcare
Plymouth, Minnesota
Dejaih Johnson, JD, MPA
American College of Physicians
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Authors, Commentary, Planners
Thomas A. Bledsoe, MD, MACP
as seen above
Elliott J. Crigger, PhD
Center for Ethics and Professionalism
Editor, Planner
Lois Snyder Sulmasy, JD
Center for Ethics and Professionalism
American College of Physicians
Washington, DC
Release Date: April 3, 2026
Expiration Date: April 2, 2029
Disclosures:
No individuals in control of content for this activity have any relevant financial relationships with companies whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients.
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The American College of Physicians (ACP) is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
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