Need information about doctor/hospital patient portals

[DEAR_JOHN]

Thought provoking..................... ....


Recently I lost a loved one in my family and I went to her patient portals, both doctors and hospitals. For some reason or another, I'm locked out of all her portals.


Has this happened to anybody else or does someone have any idea why immediate family is locked out of their portals? This isn't about a law suit or anything, I just want to try to understand what happened the last 24 hours of her life. I want to see what Dr. Google has to say.

[R.M.]

I have no information. But my condolences on the loss of your family member.

[Quentintime]

Is it possible that like a lot of medical records your family member would have had to authorize another person to access their medical records?

Sorry for your loss.

[Dorian Gray]

This is actually very common. Patient portals are legally treated as the patient’s private medical records, even after death. Immediate family does not automatically get access

Once a death is reported, hospitals & doctors either lock or fully deactivate the portal. Even if you know the login, they are required to block access. HIPAA privacy rules still apply after death, & access is only allowed to a legally authorized person like an executor or estate administrator

HIPAA does not end when someone dies. Patient portals are considered a secure access tool meant only for the patient. Once a death is recorded, providers are required to shut that access down. Letting family continue using the login would be a HIPAA violation, even if the family already knows the password. A person’s medical records stay protected for 50 years after death. That includes online patient portals, test results, messages, notes.... everything

Each hospital & doctor uses separate systems, so they all lock independently once the chart is updated


If you want information, the only real option is to request medical records through the medical records department. That usually requires a death certificate & proof you are authorized. You can ask specifically for the last 24 to 48 hours of care

[DEAR_JOHN]

Originally Posted by R.M.

I have no information. But my condolences on the loss of your family member.

It was my wife of 44 years. Thank you for your beautiful comment.

Originally Posted by Dorian Gray

This is actually very common. Patient portals are legally treated as the patient’s private medical records, even after death. Immediate family does not automatically get access

Once a death is reported, hospitals & doctors either lock or fully deactivate the portal. Even if you know the login, they are required to block access. HIPAA privacy rules still apply after death, & access is only allowed to a legally authorized person like an executor or estate administrator

HIPAA does not end when someone dies. Patient portals are considered a secure access tool meant only for the patient. Once a death is recorded, providers are required to shut that access down. Letting family continue using the login would be a HIPAA violation, even if the family already knows the password. A person’s medical records stay protected for 50 years after death. That includes online patient portals, test results, messages, notes.... everything

Each hospital & doctor uses separate systems, so they all lock independently once the chart is updated


If you want information, the only real option is to request medical records through the medical records department. That usually requires a death certificate & proof you are authorized. You can ask specifically for the last 24 to 48 hours of care

Thank you very much for this highly informative information. This was exactly what I needed to know.

[Unique_Carpenter]

Dorian is correct. All medical records get locked down.
Especially all patient portals.
As she was was your wife, again Dorian is correct, ask for the medical records.
Note that you may need to ask for the hospital, and/or the doctor's records separately.
If there's anything you do not understand, ask for a consult with whichever doc was her end of care doc.

As a side comment, for unmarried folks, consider having legal health care paperwork signed off the allows a best friend, or an of age extended family member, applicable authorization to pull medical records.

[pxmcc]

i'm sorry to hear of the loss of your wife.

did you have concerns about whether the hospital screwed up her care? if so, i doubt a patient portal would provide many answers in any case. medical records would be a good place to start. there is a cottage industry of medical chart reviewers who could review her records and see if any red flags jump out. reading charts are not easy for the layman.