The Cures Act
The purpose of the Cures Act is to give patients better access to their own electronic medical records. Additionally, New York State requires consent from patients 12 years and older before sharing confidential medical information. Through this process, our goal is to help our teens begin to take charge of their own health and medical records.
What Does This Mean?
Your child’s patient portal account will be reset one day before their 12th birthday. To renew access to the Patient Portal at age 12, a specific document will need to be reviewed and signed. This document will need to be signed again by your teen at ages 14 and 16.
Why Is This Age So Important?
Starting at age 12, your child will receive a set of questions about their physical and emotional
health at their yearly check-up. Standard screenings will be used for depression, anxiety, tobacco
and substance use, sexual activity and other choices which could affect your child’s health. Their
answers are considered confidential unless there is an immediate danger to your teen which
must be addressed. Please anticipate that we will request to spend part of the visit with your teen without a parent present. This will help your teen become more independent with their own healthcare.
What Do I Do Now?
If you have a child who is turning 12, or who is already 12 years old, please refer to our “Forms & Policies” page and click on the “12+ HIPAA Letter” to download. Please review this information yourself and with your child. The third page of the document is the one to be completed by the 12+ year old and returned to our office. This can be brought to the office or easily sent as an image through the Parent Portal.