Recently I was in the office of a specialist. Before he even examined me, he sat at his computer terminal paging through my medical records. It was a good seven minutes before he finished, all while I sat there fidgeting wondering exactly what he was looking at. Various changes in expression were my only clue. That is when it dawned on me. I didn’t even have copies of my own records.
My husband had a health crisis that started in December of 2009. Through his treatment, I was meticulous about getting copies of all of his records, from test results to doctor’s notes. This made a lot of sense. As he saw multiple doctors at multiple hospitals, being able to pull out a CD of images or read off results from a print out proved very helpful. It helped the doctors make accurate decisions and circumvented having my husband take tests that had already been performed.
Even to this day, when my husband goes for follow up care or tests, the information goes into his medical binder here at home. The crisis he went through prompted all of this record keeping, but the reality is that we should all have such a file of our medical history and other medical information.
There are several online record management programs you can chose from, or you can do it the old fashioned way and just keep paper files. The information should include everything from birth date and blood type to chronic conditions and a list of surgeries.
It is your right to have copies of any tests that are performed on you, from routine blood work to a cat scan. Anything with imagery will generally come on a CD or DVD disc. You may have to fill out paperwork to request a copy of your tests, but you usually have a right to one free copy. Subsequent copies may require a small fee, especially in the case of films or CDs.
Keep in mind that because of privacy laws, any medical records need to be picked up in person. A parent can request medical records for a child, but in the case of a spouse or parent, you will need a signed consent unless you can prove power of medical guardianship.