A patient requests copies of her medical records in an electronic format. The hospital does not maintain all of the designated records in an electronic format. How should the hospital respond?

When addressing a patient’s request for copies of their medical records, the response must align with both legal requirements and best practices regarding patient access to their protected health information (PHI). Providing records only in paper format is one way to address the situation, especially if the hospital has limited electronic records.

The correct answer reflects the need to comply with existing regulations concerning the format of PHI. If the hospital is unable to provide the records electronically because they do not maintain all designated records in that format, it is reasonable to give the patient the records they can provide in paper form. This approach ensures that the hospital is still fulfilling its obligation to make the records available, even if it cannot meet the specific request for an electronic format.

While other options suggest different methods, they may not be feasible or compliant given the hospital's capabilities. For example, scanning paper documents to send them electronically might not be practical or possible within certain time constraints or due to the integrity and authenticity of records. Offering a combination of formats could lead to complications, especially if they can only provide part of the records electronically. Informing the patient that PHI cannot be sent electronically may not be accurate if the hospital has the capacity to send some records electronically, and could discourage patients from seeking