jd Posted September 1, 2004 Share Posted September 1, 2004 So, I ordered copies of my dad's full medical reports. Cause I don't think the doctors "tell you everything" during office visits. I don't think it is on purpose but they are concerned with evaluating the patient and addressing new topics and all the details get missed or lost in the translation. Anyway, I spent the last day reading the "whole medical story" with the help of an online medical dictionary. Very informative and helpful for the road ahead. For instance, I learned that the new mets to the hip and glands are new since April. Doctor didn't mention this....it isn't the best news but I am glad we now know............ Anyway, I would recomend that ya'll spend the money and order the records at least the test results with doctor notes, commentary, etc..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela Posted September 1, 2004 Share Posted September 1, 2004 Amen! This is VERY important. We found things in Dad's medical reports that caused us problems with Medicare, etc., and were able to get additional notes to correct. Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bean_si (Not Active) Posted September 1, 2004 Share Posted September 1, 2004 How do you order them? I thought per Freedom of Information Act, you could get any report. I personally pick up results of tests at hospital that did them. Still, I did not have any idea until my visit with the Thoracic Surgeon last month that my tumor was so wrapped around my heart, breathing tube, etc. It didn't say that on the tests. I definitely found that what the doc says and what the tests say are NOT the same. I am not sure with my new oncologist. I have a feeling he will believe it kindness to NOT give me all the facts. Cat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jd Posted September 1, 2004 Author Share Posted September 1, 2004 Cat: Just go to the records dept at your hosptial/doctors office. And ask for a records request. Then you can have them mail you the test reports and doctor notes/reports. It will cost you, if you hav ethem sent to you, but I find it is worth it. Then what I do it open up a medical online dictionary (there are some free ones on the net) when I get to word that they use that I don't know what the heck they are saying, I look it up and "translate it" for myself. sometimes it's like reading a foreign language...... Good Luck j Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimblanchard Posted September 1, 2004 Share Posted September 1, 2004 ABSOLUTELY! Have to obtain copies of everything. Kim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slinaresholz Posted September 2, 2004 Share Posted September 2, 2004 I think you're absolutely right JD. They sure don't tell you everything. Sharon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paddy Posted September 2, 2004 Share Posted September 2, 2004 I get the records of every ct scan and the reports, I just go to the Radiology dept of our hospital and ask for them -no payment required. Should I also be able to get copies of the doctors reports? Paddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bean_si (Not Active) Posted September 2, 2004 Share Posted September 2, 2004 I did get and paid - $1 a copy for records of a stay in JFK Hospital. It was nothing! Certainly couldn't be all of it as I was there for a week for a collapsed lung - thanks to the needle of a assistant to a doctor trying to relieve muscle pain but instead collapsing my entire lung (yah the one I got cancer in - think why the pulmonologist who I saw after is so wary of attending to me now?) 12 pages including EEGs - no mention of meds given - what a joke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamela Posted September 2, 2004 Share Posted September 2, 2004 I only know about Texas because that's where Dad was treated. In Texas it is a law that a patient is allowed to receive ALL medical records, including the doctors' notes. They are allowed to charge minimal fees for copying, etc., but most of the ones we dealt with didn't charge. One thing we learned is that doctors' notes are permanent and cannot be deleted from the record. You have to go to the doctor and convince them to add an additional note correcting the previous note. That can be difficult, given the egos of some of the doctors. At two different hospitals we had conflicts between doctors in Dad's permanent medical record, which caused problems when those records were forwarded to the rehab hospital and to hospice. At M. D. Anderson we had a conflict between a palliative care doctor and a neuro-oncologist. You would think that a palliative care doctor would yield to the superior education and experience of a neuro-oncologist when discussing a brain lesion, but the palliative care doctor was a real jerk (I chose a nice word instead of the one I wanted to use). My brothers and I have been thinking about putting together a booklet for newly-diagnosed cancer patients and family members. It's such a confusing and emotional time right after diagnosis, and there is so much to learn. We learned too much AFTER it was too late to prevent problems. That's why I think this forum is so wonderful. It's a place where you can learn from others' experiences. The issue of medical records wasn't something I even considered at diagnosis, yet it became crucial as we progressed. Our situation may have been different from others because Dad was from a very small town, so he was diagnosed at one hospital, had a second opinion at another hospital, and was treated by a totally different (very small) cancer treatment center. Then when we hit a roadblock with the cancer treatment center, he was also treated at M. D. Anderson, a totally different hospital. Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
close to the edge Posted September 2, 2004 Share Posted September 2, 2004 hey all i have never paid for a copy of any report in pennsylvania with the cost of health care noone should pay for copies of tests you already paid for your doctor is required by law to provide you with a copy of any of your medical records. if the office asks for payment for administration services put up a fuss and i bet you will get them at no charge ask your doctor not the radiology department i even got a copies of my parents medical records which covered many years at no charge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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