Consent Information

Southern Tier HealthLink NY is dedicated to connecting the dots among all of the people, places and equipment that deliver healthcare services to you. We believe that patients should be at the center of their healthcare network, with your doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals linked to all of the medical information they need to give you the best, most informed care possible. Our secure record-sharing system gives them that information – if you consent to it.

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You can view and print the Consent Form and  Information Sheet by clicking here and the list of Participating Providers by clicking here. 

To see our brochure, click here.

Most of the HIE participating providers will be accepting consent forms at their offices beginning in February 2010.  If your provider or hospital doesn't offer you a STHL Consent form on your next visit, you can submit a form (with photo ID) directly at the STHL office during normal business hours. 
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The consent form will offer you three choices:
1. Give Consent: This choice grants access to your medical records for any healthcare provider in the HIE as long as they have a healthcare relationship with you. Office staff would have access to information related to scheduling, billing, and so on but not to clinical information . Hospital staff may have access to information that helps them monitor and improve how healthcare is provided at their location.  You can exclude a specific provider group from accessing your records (even in an emergency) by listing that group on the consent form where indicated.

2. Deny Consent: This choice prevents anyone from accessing your medical records through the HIE - even in an emergency. (Your current doctors and care facilities would still have access to the internal records they keep on you but would not be able to access any records through the HIE.)

3. Undecided: This choice prevents anyone from accessing your medical records as stored in the HIE - EXCEPT in an emergency.

You can change your consent choice any time by submitting another form.  The decision to consent is up to you – you cannot be denied medical care and your insurance eligibility will not be affected if you do not consent to have your records shared through the HIE.