In which scenario are records required to be accessible to patients?

• A. The general public.
• B. Only the healthcare facility.
• C. Patients and audits.
• D. Insurance providers.

Answer: (C)

Records are governed by privacy protections that ensure individuals can access their own health information. The idea is to empower patients to review what’s in their files, check for accuracy, and understand their care. Because of this, patients should be able to access their records. Audits—internal or external reviews aimed at verifying compliance, quality, or billing integrity—are also allowed to examine records, but only under the authority of law and with safeguards to limit exposure to what is necessary. Opening records to the general public would violate confidentiality, and limiting access to just the facility would ignore patients’ rights. Insurance providers may access records only with patient consent or as specifically permitted by law for purposes like billing, not as a blanket rule. So, the scenario where records are accessible to patients and for audits best reflects how access is legitimately allowed.