Medical Records - Open to All Other Health Topics Message Board

darren06 · 05-08-2006, 01:55 AM

Hello I am new here, and I have some questions about medical records. Can anyone answer these questions?

If my medical records are scattered out through different states through different doctors, will it be hard if not impossible to obtain them all?
How do I obtain all my medical records?
Are medical records from your early years of life when you were a child different than when you are 18 and over?
Are medical records from over 5 years ago deleted or achived (possibly on a computer)?
What is listed in my medical records? (e.g. physical health? mental health? what?)
Who keeps track of my medical records?
Are they on a computer?

I thank you for taking the time to read this as I want to know about my medical records. Thanks.

feelbad · 05-08-2006, 04:35 AM

hi Darren,as someone who regularly has to update their medical files because of many medical issues that have been going on for quite sometime,I think i can offer you some answers.

first,yes,you can indeed get records from all treating docs and hospitals and any place that has seen you for stuff like MRIs and CTs or other procedures.all you have to do is just call the places you were seen and ask them to send out whats called "a release of information" form.You just fill this out(if you don't remeber exact dates of certain things just tell them that on the form and just ask for anything that is contained in your medical file.if you can give an approx year or years of treatment tho it would speed things up a bit)sign it and send it back to the place you obtained it from.then from anywhere from a few days to about a week,your records from that place should be sitting in your mailbox.

i am not too sure just how far they will actually go back in your files tho.i have gone back as far as five years ago and had no problem obtaining stuff.this would be something to ask each individual place you call to obtain your records,as they may all be very different.

There really isn't one place that keeps track of ALL of your records,like a central type file.you will have to call each individual place that has treated you and do the release thing for each one.its really pretty simple tho.

is there a specific reason that you are needing all of your medical info or you just curious?
I would highly recomend to anyone who has any type of condition/disease process going on,to obtain everything from any place you have been treated(including hospital stays,surgeries and er visits)and just keep on updating them like every six months or so depending on just how often you are seeing any particular doc.I have to see five seperate specialists just for ongoing treatment of different medical issues.this really helps me to try and stay on top of things.

the stuff contained in your records is pretty much standard from place to place.with regard to your primary treating doc,you will be able to obtain any of his or her clinic notes.there are the little paragraphs you will normally see when your file is open and the doc is usually reading about your last visit there?these are tyhe little "summaries" of your appts,as far as your chief complaint(or reason for the visit) and what was discussed and then any treatment plan that was put into place for you to follow.pretty simple stuff.also any test results that may be in there,like bloodwork or other tests such as MRIs and stuff like that.if you have had a specific test done that you really want the results from either ask for that specifically or just say i want a copy of a particular report or ALL test results from such and such a date.you can also obtain like an MRI report from the place where it was done too.

It really is pretty easy to get your records.I know I have never ever had to pay any sort of fee for my records but i have heard from some people that they have had to pay for like the copying costs or other stuff.like I said,I have been obtaining every little document from every single place that has had any type of part in my healthcare over the years(believe me,thats ALOT of records)and have never had to pay one cent for any of it.I really don't know why some places charge fees and some don't tho.I guess its up to the place to decide.But at any rate all you have to do is just call and have them send out that release for you to sign and send it back.

I hope you are not having to gather this stuff because you are suffering some major illness or something.It shouldn't be a problem for you to actually get all of your records tho.If you have any other questions about this,just give me a holler.FB

darren06 · 05-11-2006, 08:36 PM

hi is mental history in your medical records from doctors offices and health places? such as diagnosis as well? or are those different records? also if you have been seen by psycologists and psychaitrists...?

kehorner · 05-11-2006, 08:53 PM

If you've been seen by a mental health professional, you will have to contact that office separately to obtain your records. It can be a real pain to track down all of your records. You might not need everything. If you have a particular medical condition, you probably want to get the records pertaining to that. And having records of immunizations is always good.

What I do now is to get copies of all of my test results (blood tests, x-rays, etc). And when I change doctors or move, I get a copy of all of my records. That way I don't have to track them down years later. I had to do that for a few things, and it was a total pain. Most places will mail or fax you the release form, though, which makes things easier. Although some places will not fax records, but only mail them, because of confidentiality.

darren06 · 05-11-2006, 09:19 PM

Wow so its totally seperate? If you are applying for a job that requries medical files, will they know about your mental health files if they request to get them from the area the mental health professional was in? Do they need to know where the places ar elocated in order to get them? Do places need to know where youve been seen by doctors in order to ge thtem? especially mental health doctors? or can tehy get them from your SSN?