Obtaining your health information should be a top priority in 2021. Maintaining your own Personal Health Record or PHR can provide a detailed history of your medical care which can prove to be a necessary resource if you have complex medical conditions, receiving care from various physicians, or if you have family assisting in your care. A personal health record is a great way to get involved in your care.
The process of requesting a copy of your medical record from each hospital visit or office visit isn’t as challenging as it once was years ago. There was a time when each patient encounter was documented by physicians on paper in a medical record that was then maintained by either the physician office staff or the hospital staff. In some cases, if you were a patient that was in a hospital for a long duration, the documentation by the various physicians on paper would accumulate into a very large medical record. Imagine every single laboratory result, nursing documentation for each time they provided any patient care during each visit written out on paper for every hour. That is a lot of paper!
The paper medical record required quite a bit of space in the hospitals and doctor’s offices to store and maintain. This wasn’t always an ideal option for patients to try to keep track of for their own records.
Thankfully the way we maintain medical records has evolved to an Electronic Medical Record which is more efficient for hospitals and physician offices to store and manage. The change to electronic medical records also made the task of obtaining your medical record for your personal use to create your own Personal Health Record is now easier as well. Don’t worry, if you aren’t “tech savvy” or if you don’t have a computer, you can still obtain your record in paper version. Each facility is required to provide your medical record in the form that you request whether that is paper, or electronic.
Now let’s discuss how to obtain your medical record from hospitals and/or physician offices. Below you will find easy steps you can take to obtain your medical record in layman’s terms.
- Request a copy of your medical record- contact the Health Information Department within the hospital to submit the request.
- Completed the required form for Release of Information- each facility requires a Request for information or medical record request to be completed by the patient.
- Determine which format you require i.e. paper, electronic, portal access- most facilities can provide options for ease of access.
- Provide required identification- photo i.d. is required to obtain a copy of your medical record.
Once you receive the copy of your medical record, you can repeat the process with each hospital that you have been a patient at. You will also need to request records from each physician office you have been a patient at.
This process of obtaining the record from various facilities does seem like a rather time consuming process however, knowing what is in your medical record and ensuring that the record is accurate is not only your right but it is also a way to have your affairs in order as well for family members that may need to be involved in your care at some point.
I recommend requesting your record in an electronic format as it is easier to store and manage. The patient portals, if your facility provides this service are an excellent way to monitor and review your medical record.
The importance of obtaining a copy of your medical record can’t be overstated. We live in an Information Age and have the ability to be more involved in our health care than ever before. What are you waiting for?
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