Patient Health Records are MINE
There is a great fight going on between two doctors and a hospital. The two doctors have decided to move from St Elizabeth's Hospital clinic to Mt Auburn Hospital clinics. They have 3,000 patients and would like to take their medical records. St Elizabeth's originally said no. The doctors sued. The courts said there has to be a way and it was mediated. This actually happened to me when Dr Trevor Hawkins and I moved our HIV/AIDS clinic in Santa Fe. The clinic we were leaving refused to hand over the records. This was critical for us to get the records. Not all the clients could repeat their history or medications to us. We needed the notes. We were being refused because the other clinic stated it was their property. What was really going on was, the administration was very angry we were leaving to start our own clinic and most of the clients were following us. They decided to be vengeful. Luckily, I knew a lawyer on the NM State Medical Board. He called them and said hand over the records or the Board will take you to court. 24 hours later, we had the records.
What strikes me about both these events is that the records should belong to the clients. The clients should say move or not move my records. However, medical records are not thought of as owned by the client but the institution or practice. It wasn't until HIPPA law that records were more easily attainable. Why should I have to pay a provider, hospital or insurance company for a copy of my records? It isn't easy to obtain records from hospitals these days. Most are now requiring only their form (which is a standard HIPPA regulated form) to be notarized. What an inconvenience for most people especially the disabled and elderly. How much harder can it be made to get what is rightfully mine?
This is why I support online personal medical records. I want all my doctors, hospitals, labs and insurance companies to begin putting my information where I want it. AND I want them to get it right and not transfer what they think is relevant. Currently online personal medical records are in the infancy stage and need much fixing. I am patient but I don't have much faith in the coordination on the provider side. I want my medical information available when I need it for any appointment. I don't want to be burdened with forms and then have to wait up to a month to get the records. I want the consumer to matter!
Posted by HealthCare Whisperer at 11/1/2009 5:10 PM 
Categories: medical records,HIPPA
Tags: providers medical records hospitals HIPPA
Categories: medical records,HIPPA
Tags: providers medical records hospitals HIPPA
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