Frequently Asked Questions about Rochester Regional Health’s Use of
Rochester RHIO Services
What is the Rochester RHIO?
The Rochester RHIO is an independent non-profit organization that has been developed by and for
doctors, hospital systems, health insurers and privacy officers in the 13-county Greater Rochester NY
area. About seventy healthcare organizations in the Greater Rochester area are providing patient
information to the exchange, including major hospitals, reference labs, insurance providers and
radiology practices. Rochester Regional Health both sends and receives certain medical record data to
and from the Rochester RHIO and other RHIO’s where available.
Why do we need a RHIO?
Patients often visit many different offices, physicians and other providers when getting help with a
medical condition. With the RHIO, certain information and medical data go where you go. That helps
your doctors to make more informed decisions about your care and treatment with accurate, up to date
information. It also helps to eliminate repeated testing, allows for easier second opinions, reduces the
risk of adverse drug reactions, and minimizes errors caused by hard-to read handwriting and
transcriptions. By allowing providers to work more efficiently, the RHIO can help moderate the growing
cost of health care.
How will doctors and medical providers at Rochester Regional Health use my RHIO
information?
Your electronic health information will be used with your consent by your healthcare providers to:
 Provide you with medical treatment and related services

Access test results and get information about other medical treatment you may have had in
other locations

Improve the quality and safety of your medical care

Care management activities including assisting you in obtaining appropriate care, improving the
quality of services provided to you, coordinating the provision of multiple health care services
provided to you, or supporting you in following a plan of medical care.
Will access to the Rochester RHIO help me in a medical emergency?
Yes, unless you deny consent, in a medical emergency you are likely to be seen by doctors who are not
familiar with your medical history.
 If the emergency is life-threatening, these doctors would be able to access your medical history,
recent tests, allergies, and other information that could help them to save your life.

In an emergency that is not life-threatening, Rochester RHIO simplifies the process of providing
the doctor with medical history information if you provide consent.
Why do I need to sign a RHIO form?
Patients decide if they want their healthcare providers to have access to their health
information through the RHIO.

Saying "yes" or authorizing is easy! Simply sign a RHIO Authorization for Access to Patient
Information through a Health Information Exchange Organization form at any one of our
registration sites or practices.

If you choose to say "no" or decline authorization for access to your medical records through
the RHIO, you are denying access to any Rochester Regional Health physician or clinical care
provider, even in a medical emergency. To decline authorization check "no" on the RHIO form.
Patients can choose to say "no" to all healthcare providers in our region. You will need to
contact the Rochester RHIO directly to process this request. You can contact Rochester RHIO’s
Customer Support Center by phone at: 1.877.865.7446 or email at info@grrhio.org.
I spend a month or more out of the area every year, so if I “opt-in” to the Rochester RHIO, will my
medical records be available to my doctors in another State?
Patients decide if they want their healthcare providers to have access to their health information
through the RHIO. Starting in late 2015, access to your records should be available throughout New York
State. Records are not currently available outside this state through the RHIO.
If I have a medical emergency while vacationing or when out of the area, and I’ve “opted-in” to RHIO,
will my medical records be available to the doctors in another state or country?
It is not likely that records will be available outside New York State through the RHIO.