Social Security Administration and the Nationwide Health Information Network(NHIN)

Stuart McAtee

Attorney
(866) 735-1102 Ext 361

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As with any governmental agency, claims involving Social Security Disability can be time consuming and frustrating due to gathering pertinent documents upon which the government will make a decision. Part of the process is gathering an applicants medical records. The gathering of medical records from different medical providers can cause time delays in the Social Security Administration(SSA) decision whether to approve an application for SSD benefits.

Recently, the SSA announced that it would be the first government agency to use the Nationwide Health Information Network (NHIN). Read about it at http://www.socialsecurity.gov/pressoffice/pr/nhin-pr.htm. The quicker the SSA can access the records, the quicker a decision can be made about an application. NHIN should allow almost instantaneous access to an applicant's medical records.

Let's hope instant access to an applicant's medical records will decrease the wait time for the SSA to make a decision for those in need. Moreover, NHIN should be more cost efficient than traditional methods of gathering medical records.

If you or a loved one needs assistance with an SSD claim, please contact our firm.