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Maegilthalion
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re: Medical Records for US citizens

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Anyone who regularly sees more than one doctor, or has a chronic health condition should know this.  I wonder why they don't teach it....

 

When you get your medical records from a doctor, you will only receive the records generated at that doctor's office.  Even if you have been a patient of the same doctor, if the doctor changes locations, you have to go to BOTH locations to get your complete medical records.

  • Doctors are only allowed to release records generated by their own office.  Even if you supplied your doctor with you life's medical history, by law that doctor is only allowed to forward records generated in that office.
  • If you have chronic illness, you should keep your own medical records from each office you visit. 
  • Always give new doctors copies of your existing medical records, as they will NOT be forwarded to the next office you visit
  • If you see a doctor in an office, then see another doctor in that same office, both doctor's records should be released upon request
  • Doctor's offices are given 21 days by law to release your records.  If they screw you around, turn them in to your state's medical board by written complaint.  
  • New doctors LOVE it when you come prepared to your first appointment with all pertinent medical records in hand, unfortunately, getting clear information across quickly is key to good care these days.  

 

I hope this helps someone.  I found some of this out the hard way.....

 

Cheers

 

 

Maeg



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Hafwen Elfling
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Canadian law:

Doctors keep your records for 7 years if you are inactive, or in perpetuity if you stick with them. Your entire chart is kept by your family doctor including specialist reports as long as they cc'd it to them as they always should. When you move doctors, you can have them send the whole file all inclusive (for a photocopy fee).

American law: Boooo



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Relemoth
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Yeah, Maeg, patient privacy is important and all, but it gets really tricky to connect all the dots, and all that is good stuff to know. I found the same info out about a two years ago.

 

My son had a hard start, and saw 4 different specialists early on, and to try to make everything come together in the future I found an independent pediatrician (away from the mega-hospital network were were using), expecting that once I get all the records to them, they'd all be in one place for good. NOPE.


Trying to get set up here in AL was a nightmare, the pediatrician sent the few months worth of nothing to my current office, and I had to send a bunch of request forms to the big hospital place as well... and to make matters more frustrating, I'd send a request for his stint with a particular clinic, only to find out that I needed a separate request to have the pulmonary records sent... and the endocrinology... and honestly, his current pediatrician still thinks they're missing a vaccination form, but are ok without it! sigh.

Relemoth
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For the record, I'm not knocking the hospital he was at. Those people saved his life, and helped me out a good deal as well. The doctors and nurses there are some of the more amazing people I've met in my life, and the records issues are certainly not their fault... just an annoying consequence of what I think of as antiquated patient privacy laws.

Hafwen Elfling
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IMO the privacy law puts people in more danger from misdiagnoses and incomplete care. Not to mention the extra dollars redoing tests the patient forgot they got or cant get the original report from.

I'd go for less privacy and safer care. Much happiness with our system here. A doctor needs a report, his secretary calls another secretary and it gets faxed. Not a biggie.



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