It’s been awhile since I last posted. My apologies. I’ll try to do better. I thought retirement would give me more time to focus on this blog, but it seems to give me more distractions. Since my last post, I’ve once again seen some issues with being a patient in our healthcare system that deserve some comment. This post will talk about one that those of us who have moved around the country face – keeping track of our medical records, in other words, health record portability. We may have paper records that we carry with us, but the more we have, the harder it is for our new physician to pour through them and incorporate them into the current record.
What brought this topic to my attention was my recent need to find documentation of a pneumonia vaccination that I know I received within the last few years. Was it done at my doctor in Knoxville or was it done at a pharmacy while I was on vacation in Florida? I can’t find the record of it within my paper files.
In this digital age, it seems that certain aspects of our healthcare delivery system have not kept up with technology. Our medical records should be digitally portable. If you had surgery in Richmond, VA and now moved to Charlotte, NC a lot of that information may not be readily accessible to your new healthcare providers. What are the current obstacles?
- Not all physicians or healthcare providers use an electronic medical record (EMR)
- Not all significant healthcare information is contained in the EMR
- Not all the EMR systems that are operational can share information
- Even where sharing is possible, it’s often not automatic
Next time I’ll talk about some solutions that are on the horizon. In the meantime, please feel free to share your comments and thoughts.
For Your Health! – Dr. Bob