Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion General Message Board for Ankylosing Spondylitis and Related Diseases My Doctor Records

I am going on a tour with my son for six plus months and wanted a copy of all my records in case I need to see a doctor on the road.After months of calls my Doctors office they finally sent me "some" of my requested records. I looked through them and am shocked! I have had many issues with my blood work for two years and she never told me anything except my vitamin d level was really low!! Also, in her notes, were many mistakes on my case. I am so disappointed and now need to start this process all over with a new Rhuemy.. Ugh!! Please say hi if anyone goes to see The Addams Family tour!

Why do you need to start over with a new Rheumy? Has the treatment regime not been effective? But I guess if you feel that your health has been put at risk, you need to change.

Mine will normally make hand written notes during the appointment for me and then send my GP a formal report monthly. She's made a couple of errors in the formal reports in the past placing an ache somewhere where I hadn't mentioned, etc. But nothing significant.

For what it's worth, I get copies of my blood work every month. Inevitably, there is something outside of the normal range every time. She's aware of it and aware that I'm also aware, but unless it's clinically significant it isn't normally a point of discussion.

Have fun on the trip!

This Rheumy doesn't talk with me even if I push. I try getting blood test results and never get a call back. This Drs office is part of a hospital and every call goes through a service! Just frustrating!

I've had a swollen tonsil for three years! ENT and Gastro say GERD and other docs don't seem concerned. Is this due to inflammation? Cancer? Makes it hard to swallow.

On the medical records - this is a very bad ongoing problem, I agree. I would probably switch docs too, if I got treated this way.

Don't assume that the out of range blood tests mean you had a problem they didn't tell you about, though. Everybody is different and some people have certain aspects of bloodwork that are always a little abnormal, but is normal for them. Before getting mad about that, talk to the doc about the specific numbers that concern you.

On the tonsil, haven't you posted about this in the past? It sounds very familiar. If you didn't post about it, someone else did.... use the search function to find the old thread. May be several months back now.

samson,

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/

this is the link for the HIPAA act which tells us that we OWN our records here in this country (don't know about australia, fitz)

we are entitled to a complete copy of your whole file and all test results - everything within a reasonable time, and if they "charge" a per page fee for copying, it had better be reasonable.

your records are very important, and you need to start receiving the test results every time now into the future. i go get my blood tests, wait a week, return to the lab and sign a piece of paper, and get a copy of my results. no questions asked and no cost. i even have all my xrays, mri's, etc on actual films until they went to cd version. now i have all those too. just have to speak up when taking the test, "oh, and please, i need a copy of that mri, xray, etc."

i am an extreme case - many times this stuff has saved me hours of time going to a new doc or specialist. i have many dxs and i also take a summary sheet that ironically my rheumy condensed for me.

i am so sorry about your predicament. but, when you return, write your doc if you are going to leave her, and ask for a full copy of your file. ask to include all tests results, etc. then give her a check and a couple of weeks. i only go into detail here because i just did that last year before my cancer surgery. from my rheumy. she, of course, left out all those little comments i had watched her hand write in my file. if i ever want to contest that, we have a legal right to sit and read my own file and actually make rebuttal notes in it.

sorry this got so long. it is really important to stand up for our rights, whether you leave this doc or not.

we haven't had this topic for awhile. and i am not certain if the law has been watered down lately, read the link.

good luck, and i will look up adams family. prayers and peace, sequoia