Qpid.me has turned one of the healthcare industry’s liabilities — communicating by fax — into a strength for patients. Founder Ramin Bastani has figured out how to use this creaky technology to make it easier for patients to get their medical records and to share the information with potential partners at the same time.
Qpid.me started as an an online fax service to help people get copies of STD test results, whether a doctor wants to share the information or not. The company has evolved into a way to crowdsource a list of non-compliant healthcare providers.
“We have some providers who love it and others who are fighting us to the death and have gotten lawyers involved,” Bastani said.
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Bastani’s motivation for researching medical records laws in all 50 states is to help patients access their records without going to the doctor.
“The biggest problem I’ve seen is not with the policy or the law, but with the perception of HIPAA and privacy,” he said. “Doctors would rather err on the side of not sharing the information.
Qpid.me’s FAQ answers the question, “What if my provider refuses to release my records?” with an explanation of a patient’s rights under HIPAA, answers to common reasons why records can’t be released and a link to filing a HIPAA complaint.
“We’re not playing gotcha but I don’t think this will change until there is some kind of pressure,” he said.
Providers are required by law to release the records and failing to do so can trigger some serious fines. In California for example, providers have 15 days to respond to a records request. In 2011, Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights fined Cignet Health $4.3 million in 2011 for violated 41 patients’ rights by denying them access to their medical records when requested over a year’s time.
Bastani sees many opportunities for Qpid.me beyond STD test results. It’s easy to see the benefits to people who have seen many providers, people with chronic conditions and parents trying to collect medical records for children or elderly parents. He also talked about the possibility of linking e-prescribing to the service.
“If you test positive for these things that are totally curable, your options are #1, go back to healthcare provider or #2 a prescription for antibiotics will be at your local pharmacy,” he said.
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Here’s how the service works now for an individual who wants a copy of test results.
You register on the site and name the provider where you got the test done. Qpid.me verifies the provider and sends a fax to the doctor. Ideally, the office faxes the results back. This creates a record on Qpid.me that you can share with any potential partners via text message.
The results are date stamped and cover tests for HIV, gonorreha, clamidia and syphilis. Qpid.me also offers a map of testing locations.
Bastani said that users have requested that the results show viral load side by side with HIV status.
“If you are HIV positive, you deserve to have a good sex life,” he said. “And gay men are sharing their status on dating sites already.”
Bastani started the company about two years ago and understands HIPAA as well as the nuances of state law.
“Some states say that doctors can charge patients for copies of their records, but they don’t say how much,” he said.
It has been a good year for Qpid.me, which recently announced a partnership with the Los Angeles Unified School District to teach students as young as seventh grade how to use the site. A new CDC report shows that half of all new STD infections occur among young people 15 – 24 and that STDs cost the healthcare system nearly $16 billion in direct medical costs.
The company plans to expand their service into other sectors of healthcare. Qpid.me will also be in the Innoation Showcase at ENGAGE next week in Washington DC. There is still time to buy a ticket today.
Watch Bastani explain his inspiration for the site in the first video below. The second one is for teachers to use to help students learn to use the site.
