Indiana has put in place laws that allow patients to participate in their own care.  This is primarily done through informed consent laws, and laws allowing patients to designate other individuals to be authorized to consent to health care treatments and procedures, as well as receive otherwise confidential health care information on the patient’s behalf.1   While the law sets forth individuals who can legally consent to their own care, health care providers have the discretion to determine whether an individual is actually capable of consenting to treatment.2   Further efforts to provide patients and consumers opportunities to participate in their own care can be seen through Indiana’s annual consumer guide on hospital financial and utilization information, to assist consumers in comparing hospitals.3

In order to provide more effective patient treatment, Indiana law allows a provider to obtain his/or her patient’s health records from another provider without the patient’s consent.4  These records must include all patient-related written and electronic communications, specifically, test results, instructions and informed consent agreements.5  Similar efforts to coordinate care can be seen through the mandate of the Children’s Health Board to develop policies for delivery system reform and enhanced access.6  The Board for the Coordination of Programs Serving Vulnerable Individuals must coordinate with local agencies to create a central database for standardized, disaggregated, race-specific data collection, promote cultural competency training, and enhance the quality of care provided to vulnerable individuals.7