But first I suggest saying courteously that you know you’re entitled, under HIPAA, and you insist on getting them.

Two problems: they’re allowed to take a MONTH to deliver it (sometimes more), and they can charge you whatever state law allows. That can be a lot. But many people have gotten waivers by begging and pleading.

Thanks
Al

I saw this and found it to be on point.
IF AIR TRAVEL WORKED LIKE HEALTH CARE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J67xJKpB6c

Sincerely,

Alan

the medical profession here is so focussed on the bottom line with shareholders and HMOs and insurance companies that they sometimes seem to forget what it’s really all about

I am really hoping that the EHR process is going to makie sure there’s no issue of “custody” of the records because the moment the data is collated for your physician it will also appear in your chosen online EHR provider – be that Dossie, Google Health, Health Vault or others.

The downside is that sometimes understanding the data and corellating it is going to be tough for the general public but that opens up new areas for the online platforms to perform high level interpretation (in partnership with programs like the Mayo Clinic etc) to at least guide a patient to a better understanding of their health and wellness (which surely makes sense for the insurance companies and the healthcare system in the long run?)

Just to clarify a few points:
1) I am not calling into question the competency of the hospital physicians in Charleston, WV. The information from HealthGrades.com represented only a small influence in the decision to transfer. Surgery is a dangerous and scary undertaking for patients, and it is important for patients to be confident and comfortable heading into the OR.

2) At the time of his surgery, the patient was stable, felt fine and was not suffering any symptoms. He was not having a heart attack. He was, however, slated to undergo open heart surgery and he and his family felt more comfortable moving to a hospital that was more familiar, where he perceived that he would get better care and attention. Assuming that the hospital team had a good handle on patient records, providing a copy of a cardiac catheterization CD – or any test results – should have been an easy task.

Your reply seems to indicate that you believe that patients do not have the right to choose his/her hospital. Patients do have decision-making power and the right to exercise choices for their own care.

The unfortunate reality of the situation is that the system is set up to keep the patient from gaining access to their information, to keep the patient ignorant and dependent. I’m not blaming providers specifically; they are rightfully worried about exposure to litigation and staying ahead of the competition.

I am currently trying to gain access to my own medical records from several different sources. I’ll write an entry about this experience too, but as you might guess I’m getting a lot of push back from most providers.

Americans have a right to choose their doctors and have a right to their data (except in special circumstance such as mental health information). Having an advocate can prevent medical error and save your life.

Respectfully,

-Alan

On the other hand, you imply that you needed the medical record because your father was in urgent need of bypass surgery. I can’t think of any cardiologist who would condone a 300+ mile transport for someone in urgent need of bypass surgery when the patient is already in a competent center.

Bottom line, either your father didn’t have an urgent need for the records to go with him to Richmond, or you and your family endangered him by moving him 300 miles with unstable coronary disease.

I’m glad your father did well. You just haven’t convinced me that it (1) was in his best interest to delay the surgery and take him on a 300 mile trip, or that (2) your sister was justified in throwing a fit in the medical records department demanding that her needs came ahead of the other several hundred patients in the hospital.

Can you give us the names of the doctors in their database who no longer practice? (And why would those doctors still be making those alleged payments if they’re out of business?)

Know your rights and demand your data!

RE: Chloe Taylor’s comments about healthgrades.com

1.) I didn’t pay for the reports. I used the free information which included morbidity rates.

2.) I know very little about how health grades came up with their numbers or rankings. I would be interested in knowing how the information is collected and all the criteria that goes into the scores. As a general principle, I think this sort of information should be very public and transparent.

We’ve changed tending physicians, hospitals and labs because of either “lost or unavailable” records, x-rays, etc. It’s only because I stood my ground and insisted on getting a copy of all my husband’s records that they miraculously appeared and that he is alive today. On several occasions to hospitals and physician visits, the only records or x-rays available were the ones I carried with me.

Our medical records are rightfully ours. Keep spreading the word! Jonena