Do most
people take the time to review their medical record? Of course not. In my case,
what was supposed to be a tool to improve care missed the mark.
For 35
years I had the same internist. As he changed practices I went with him. Whether
he was a preferred provider or not it was reassuring to know that he had my
whole health history at his fingertips. He could flip through the decades of my
health history and see the changes in my life. It was wonderful to feel the
security inherent in the vision of continuity of care.
All that
came to an abrupt stop when this past year my internist retired. I was all
prepared to find a new internist when I realized it would be helpful to have a
copy of my medical record. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that 31 years
of my medical history were gone. What
had happened?
It seems that
when my internist changed his practice to being part of MedStar my paper
records did not go with him. MedStar was on an electronic system and the health
record they had was only for the last four years he had been with them. All previous paper records were not with
MedStar. When I asked what happened to 31 years of my health record the MedStar
person referred me to my internist’s former practice.
It seemed
that while Medstar was willing to take the patients that came with the
physician the paper health records of the patient were not welcome.
The
situation became more problematic as I reviewed my electronic record. There
were diagnoses for conditions I never had and prescriptions that were never
given.
My
suggestion to everyone? Carefully review
your medical record and keep a copy of it for yourself. The life you end up
saving may be your own.
