Your Health Information. Your Choice.

What is SHARE?

SHARE stands for State Health Alliance for Records Exchange (SHARE) which is a part of the Arkansas Department of Health. It is a system that connects your health care records between your providers. This includes your doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other health care professionals.

What does SHARE do?

SHARE lets all members of your health care team who are connected to SHARE see your whole health history. When they can see these details, they have more information and can take better care of you. SHARE is the only system of its kind in Arkansas.

Who can see my records in SHARE?

Health care professionals are the only people who can see your records in SHARE. They can only look at your records if they are part of your care team. It is against the law for them to look at your records for any other reason than treatment, payment and operational purposes.

Can I choose not to use SHARE?

Yes. If you do not want to use SHARE, tell your doctors’ offices that you want to “opt-out.” They will update your health record at their office to show that you do not want your record shared with other providers. If you decide later that you do want to use SHARE, let your doctors’ offices know.

Is my health information safe if I used SHARE?

SHARE follows all federal and state laws, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) which protect your health information. These laws require your provider to keep your information private. If they share your records with each other in other ways (such as faxing or mailing), it will not be as safe as using SHARE.

How can SHARE help me?

No matter where you go for care, your provider can see all your health records. They can even see the records from your other providers who use SHARE. This gives them information about your allergies, medicines, test results, and more. This could help if you have a health emergency and cannot give these details yourself.

What happens if I opt-out of SHARE?

Your doctors may have a less complete record of your health. This means they may not have all the details they need to take the best care of you. Your health record may be sent from one provider to the next in less safe ways, such as faxing or mailing.