A proposed change to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) privacy rules would let patients see who accessed their electronic records.

The Department of Health and Human Services announced the changes Tuesday in the Federal Register, saying the proposed rule helps bolster patients' rights.

"This proposed rule represents an important step in our continued efforts to promote accountability across the health care system, ensuring that providers properly safeguard private health information," said Georgina Verdugo, the director of the Office of Civil Rights, in a statement.

Under the new rule, patients would have the right to obtain a copy of the "access report," a document that covers a three-year period and identifies anyone who had accessed the patient's electronic protected health information. Currently, health care providers must track this information but are not obliged to share it with patients.

The HHS is accepting comments on the new rule through August 1.