Read Your Records

Ever wonder what your doctor scribbles in your chart? Just ask him!

By Cynthia Dermody
From Reader's Digest
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Read Your Records
Most doctors are legally required to show patients their records. Why not check out your chart?
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Many people don't know that under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, most doctors are legally required to show patients their records. Jinnet B. Fowles, of the Park Nicollet Institute in Minneapolis, surveyed 3,600 Minnesotans, and found that 79% of them wanted to see their records, but only 26% had done so; 25% still didn't know they could ask.

What can you learn from your records? Fowles was alarmed when she realized that the two pounds she gained each year, insignificant at the time, added up to a 30-pound weight gain. She began a diet-and-exercise plan to drop the weight. Look for errors and make sure your drug list is current. And there are things you may have forgotten: When was your last tetanus shot?

Ask your doctor to mail a copy (he may charge a fee), or make an appointment to view your records. Discuss them at your next visit.
From Reader's Digest - August 2004
 
Must Read Should Everyone Read This? Yes! I vote for this story

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