Choose your words carefully

Yes and so sad!!!! Thank you.

Good points Merrida! ! Doctors in general are scientist, intelligent, and nerdy throughout their lives because of it. They view the world from as a unemotional invalid and one of the first lessons learned and a definite requirement of pre-med is to lose your ability to view anything with an emotional response. To preserve their sanity and prevent burnout they must see the world in black & white when it involves feelings.

As nurses we have to be able to retain some emotional responses yet from a distance with the ability to shut down when necessary. We have to be there available in all care situations when doctor's can walk away. When you get a diagnosis of something bad while inpatient the Dr may deliver the news and leave but we must stay and continue to care for you and comfort you.

This ability Drs have also prevents them from hearing with emotions in mind and here's where things become murky in translation. Black and white remove the emoting Lisa used in stating her explanation, in this case, her quirkiness and wit and you have left the fact she was confronted by a woman who threw a punch and made connection leaving her with a broken nose.

Best when dealing with relating information to the Dr to leave out any emoting and state your case in black and white. The minute emotions enter into play you've lost part of his attention. It's a fact that crying, screaming and angry outbursts get you no further then just saying in clear and precise facts I am in pain and what are you going to do for me.

Occasionally in the world you may run across a rare breed of Dr who can still see with emotions but they're rare rather than the norm. Certain specialtys are worse than others.

The reason we preach keeping pain journals, getting a file together with your medical records, its written form and black and white and likely to get more attention then anything you say.

Also remember that the drs don't always write down the things we tell them or the things they tell us. And they do make mistakes.

Vickie, Most people don't get copies of their medical records and read them unless they think their is a reason, like when they are denied disability. The most common things I've heard is that the dr didn't write what the patient said to them & what they said to the patient & that there were errors. They type of errors than can lose disability cases.

Federal Law states states that you are to only be charged for the cost of coping your medical records and postage if they are mailed. But, not all states have incorportaed that into state law. So you may also be charged an Administration or Search Fee. This is against Federal Law. The only thing you can do is bring it to the attention of your drs office staff for dr. It they doesn't adjust the cost, you can make a Federal Complaint, but it will be a long process before the state law changes.


Your Medical Records-
www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/consumers/medicalrecords.html

In many states they have a first copy clause that says your entitled to one copy free, well in the scheme of things that doesn't add up to much and usually your "free" copy was sent to SS or a requesting Dr or hospital so you pay out of pocket anyway. With the creation of e-filing your records can be cheaper to obtain if you provide the disc, same thing for scans and MRI films, they can be copied to disc or smart drive and you can then copy from home if you want a paper file. My PM Dr now uses eclinic which is a software that all patients records are in. I had to create an online account with him, password and security questions encoded but can access any record he has on me. Within hours of my office visits the office notes for that visit is there available. My appointments are scheduled on a calendar there 6 months at a time, there's a prescription refill link, a Dr, nurse, therapist, office manger email link and appointment request form should I need to be seen for anything in between. I can see all my lab values as they come in. I can send them an office email if I forgot to ask something or have a question for anyone in the office.

I was not sure about it at first, didn't know if I liked having that amount of information online anywhere but it's so security conscious I can't imagine anyone figuring out easily how to break into it. One wrong answer or even misspelled word on the secure login and its locked and technical services has to walk you through unlocking.

I have a mobile app and even though I can't access actual surgical procedures or films I can see reports and drs notes, labs etc and that has come in handy for access to in an emergency or if I wanted a consulting Dr to see something now versus waiting to request records from them.

Didn't mean to plug software! ! Lol just wanted to give folks a heads up about the Flash drive and disc option versus paper copy and you may have to leave it and comeback depending on the staff but it only takes minutes to transfer year's of records.


M&G I had to take my SS all the way to ALJ hearing and had been sent to 2 Drs they requested I see. I had not seen either of those reports as SS doesn't have to make them available to us I guess until that 15 minute span allowed to actually review your file prior to the hearing. Both of their consulting DRs had supported my claim? Both had been at least 6 months prior and one over a year yet here I had been denied obviously up to the ALJ hearing. That fact alone made me and the Judge irate. His first statement to the SS clerk and Attorneys was "what are we doing here "??? I don't think that review committee ever bothered to read those Dr reports before denying me up to the ALJ step. Had I known what they said I would have pushed to know why they still insisted to deny with not just my 2 drs support but the 2 they chose as well.

Why do they not have a obligation to disclose?

Exactly but because neither I or the Attorney saw the reports and they continued denials we assumed they were not in my favor.

I hear you Merrida...

I've suffered severe depression since a teenager and just a few weeks ago during a neuro appt...for Post Concussive Syndrome from an accident...he said this is all from your depression, nope!! it's not, I was not depressed until after the concussion and am not now.

This severe short term memory loss I know is from the concussion.

Wished I'd never mentioned the depression but then I feel it shouldn't be held against you.

Every time I see my medical records something upsets me because of the BS that's been written! Wrong arm, wrong leg and things I've never suffered from, amazing.