Accessing & Sharing Your Patient Records- The Risks & Benefits

As we get older, we often have a group of related problems; Knees, ankles, hips, heart, lungs, kidneys, digestive tract, blood pressure, diabetes and vision, etc. Increasingly, if you have insurance, your primary care doctor refers you to a specialist in each of these areas, for the best treatment.  In that case, there is a medical document trail to follow. What is far worse is no trail and no connection. You see one doctor - get one prescription, and then don't tell the next doctor about the first one, the prescription the first one gave you.

It's good to get the best care. It's very bad - in fact it's very dangerous - when Doctors have incomplete, inaccurate, or the wrong information about you. Your medical information may be in another group or hospital computer system; so it takes doctors longer to get the info before they can take action on your behalf  ... if they get it at all. 

Often, delays in  receiving care are not their fault. Tests have to be duplicated at great cost and loss of time, because the previous physician hasn't sent over the records in a timely fashion. You have also had to sign a release to share your private medical records.

That is due to increasingly stringent rules and regulations preventing the abuse and inappropriate sharing of a patients health care records or HIPPA The Health Insurance  Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. Because of that, it is often very difficult for all of the doctors that you see, to be on the same page, each with the most complete and accurate information about you. UNLESS you are very proactive, and obtain, copy and bring with you in a folder , all of your patient notes, records, history, CD's of MRI's or CAT Scans, X-Rays and test results with each of the doctors you see - at each visit.

What is the down side of your doctors not having good information? If your Cardiologist is treating you for high blood pressure, and prescribes drug "A", and  she doesn't know your  Rheumatologist is treating your joint pain with drug "B", you might be putting yourself at great risk of a dangerous drug interaction.

Rule #1 Keeping treatments, diagnoses and medication secrets between your doctors and your caregivers ... is a guaranteed recipe for disaster.

The upside of your doctors having good information, includes: faster and more accurate diagnosis, reduced chance of dangerous combinations of drugs, the increased likelihood of your specialists working together; you will have a much better understanding about what is going on, you will have a great source of questions about what this means, what this test result means; and, a great opportunity for you, your family caregivers, andyour professional caregivers to be all on the same page at the same time. What a concept!

Have you had any questions, or do you have any personal stories - about your medical records - that others might appreciate or learn from?

 

Comments

[John medical records]

Thanks for your information about online medical patient record that is maintaining the patients record which is very important point to consider in the medical field.

[Adam]

There are many different types of records that you will find to be extremely beneficial throughout your lifetime. These records include those that are related to your personal health, online records, wills, insurance records, property records, and even those that are related to educating patients such as drug interactions. Many individuals do not realize that there are many benefits of obtaining medical records and immunization records.