This is a hold-up, hand over my medical records, and nobdy gets hurt!

[Sunnytoday]

Ok, just kidding, but seriously, our healthcare providers, medical records workers, and the patient (us) needs to be better educated on the basics of HIPAA- (Health Insurance Portability and Accountabiliy Act) This Act does a lot of our nation, and one of the most important things is that it protects our health information and gives us the right to access it. YES... so hand it over!!

As a registered medical records professional, I am CONSTANTLY stunned by dr's and facilities who's policies do not allow them to release my information to me. I sat through many, many hours of classes that broke down the laws that pertain to medical records, and the trutht that was hammered into my brain was this:

The physical medical record (the one you can see, touch, feel and has the bright stickers on it) belongs to the medical care facilty. The INFORMATION INSIDE OF IT BELONGS TO THE PATIENT.

This simple fact allows the patient to walk into the facility, and request the information, have it copied, dessimated, faxed where they want it to be faxed, copied, copied COPIED.... and it MUST be!!!!.... Becuase it is THEIRS!!!!!!!!!! I understand that a release of information form must be signed, this is policy, procedure, and a rule, and you must show I.D. to make sure you are you and not John Doe trying to steal your information.

Now, I aplogize for all the yelling, but I am currently trying to get all my medical records from NYU and my MRI's from NYU. The MRI center and the NYU center has both refused to send the film for my 3T MRI's, even once I have signed a release of information, AND after my PCP has requested them himself. I know they can, becuase I was there, and I know the way that center works is that they just hit "print" and they print out your films as many times as you need.

This is a bit insane. So, I had my PCP request the rest of the Dr. H & K.'s charts at NYU and I'm going to my PCP's to get them copied and released to me tomorrow. However, only the radiolgy reports are in there, not the films. I even had a dr. in Florida tell me that those MRI's should be sent to me becuase they are techinically mine, and well, I had to say "Miss, they just won't do it, should I go there and hold them up?"

Sigh, I just had to vent, I hope no one minds. But you, me and all other's in the United States must be more aware of our rights concerning our medical records.

So, tomorrow I will know what my C-spine and T-spine looked like to the NY radiologists.
~Sunnytoday~

[wonko]

Sigh.  Totally.

I've had to email and call repeatedly, pay stupid fees ($60 for my PCP's chart notes!) and sometimes shown up in person to gather MY records (which of course is not so easy when you travel to see specialists, which I have done as well).  

I appreciate the reminders that despite the uphill battle, we are perfectly justified in getting our records.  I know too I've had issues where a specialist I see doesn't fax all of the tests back to my PCP, and things like that waste time and lead to confusion.

I fully advocate to get and keep your copies.  I have a scanner for my PC, but even if you don't, lots of public places (libraries, kinkos, some drug/grocery stores) have photocopies and/or scanners and/or CD burners.  Never give away your only copies, always keep a set!

Also, when I get an order for blood work, MRI, or other test, I also try to keep a copy of the order instead of surrendering my only copy.  This proved important to me as well.

[Sunnytoday]

Kathy, that was totally what I remembered, and I was digging out my good 'ol HIPAA book and loooking through all 300 pages of it. You can't release Psych charts or drug, alcohol charts but anything else can go to the patient and sexually transmitted diseases charts have some special clauses as well. I have none of the above, so hand over my MRI's please!!!

I am calling up there today and asking, very, very, very politely, exactly what, under the law, is required of me, to get them sent to me. I will persist!! Thanks Kathy for telling me that I wasn't crazy here, I knew that I had rights and they DID pertain to those MRI's too!
~Sunnytoday~

[Fluffysmom]

OK, my friend was awake.  She said that by law, they have 30 to 60 days to get the requested information to you, and that includes the MRIs.

They KNOW the law, maybe you can politely point this out to them and suggest that they get your films to you before they are in violation of the law.

She also said the only reason information can be kept from you is if they think it will cause you to want to commit suicide or something similar; it has to be very serious.

Your faith is too strong for that to be a remote possibility, so go ahead and insist on your legal rights.

Nighty night,

Kathy

[Fluffysmom]

Oooh, I want to send my friend that's a HIPAA compliance officer after that NYU MRI dept.  They have NO RIGHT to keep YOUR FILMS away from you!  I'll ask her tomorrow about the specifics, but I think there are some slight differences from state to state.  I'll ask her to look into it for you, and see if she can come up with something that you can fax to NYU MRI to get your MRI CDs sent pronto!

There is some small clause that says a doctor can restrict you access to some information if they can show that it will cause you or someone else harm, kind of like what was mentioned from one of our Canadian friends.  I can't see how that can apply in this case, as the MRI dept. is not your doctor.  

I hope I can find out something to help!

Smiles and hugs,

Kathy

[OperaMBA]

You can hold the CD's up to the light too, it's just not very effective...  :-)

But they are kind of pretty with all of the shiny colors refracting!!!  

Give me a mallet - I'm looking for some neuro noggin!

OperaMBA
The Avenger!

[Sunnytoday]

well, actually, I wanted to go anyplace but Mayo, and Vanderbilt was the closest option.
~S~

[Sunnytoday]

I am calm now. And no, NYU dr.'s won't explain why they didn't send them, and NYU MRI center says it's policy to not give any MRI info to patients, only to the ordering dr, have a nice day. I was rather ticked, after working over a month to get that information, hence the rant.

I have an appt. at Vanderbilt the last of December... and I found out a few days ago that a resident will be seeing me, not a decent neurologist. My prayers are that she is amazing or something wonderful happens. My parents are taking me to Mayo Clinic the first of Jan. as well, we compramised and got an appt. both places since I want to go to Vanderbilt and my mum wants Mayo.... so......
~Sunnytoday~

[Lulu54]

Sunny,
you mentioned vandy during your rant.... does that mean you have another appt. scheduled?  
does anyone at nyu give you an excuse why they haven't sent them yet or are they just ignoring your requests?

calm down, its not good for your health!
Lulu

[jensequitur]

Don't worry, Sunny!  It's very frustrating, isn't it?  I can't believe they're giving you the runaround about your MRIs.  I always get a CD or films right after the scans.  I was just getting the films, until I found out on this forum that I could get a CD!  Much better, and I don't get a crick in my neck from holding them up to the light.

[Sarahsmom46]

I have had the most problems getting medical records from doctor's I've seen at university affiliated medical settings than from a private practice doctors for some reason.  If you do get your records, they charge you a fortune.  I paid $50 to get a copy of my hospital records, but I'm not complaining about the cost.  I was just happy to get the records.  I was happy because I finally had an idea about what was going on while I was there, stuff the doctor didn't think I needed to know I guess.  

So, I think you idea of having the PCP get the records from NYU is probably the cheapest and most direct way of finally getting a copy for yourself.  You are such a smartie!

Julie

[Sunnytoday]

thanks for the good luck comment anyways, though. I should just be quiet and not vent while I have a head-ache, it's not very gracious, now is it. :)
((((((hugs)))))))))
~Sunnytoday~

[Sunnytoday]

Jenn, if only i HAD THE MRI"S. oh, sorry I didn't mean to yell at you too. I only can get my little hands on the reports, which is annoying me to no end, let me tell you, becuase it means that Vandy will probably make me do another new set of MRI's becuase I don't and won't have any films to show them, just the reports, which it seems, is never good enough, and I totally understand because I want them to interpret the films themselves.
ARGHHHH!!!
~Sunnytoday~

[jensequitur]

Ooh, good luck!  I find it very frustrating to look at the MRIs, but I do it anyway!