The Best Ways to Access Personal Medical Records
People need to access their medical records for a variety of reasons. Maybe they are moving and will be seeing a new physician or perhaps they just want a copy for their personal records. Laws protecting patient privacy mean you can't get information over the phone or without proper identification. So how do you get your personal medical records?-
Accessing Medical Records In Person
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The easiest and most efficient way to get your medical records is to visit your doctor's office in person. The staff will have you sign a release consent form and you will need to show proper identification. Once you have, a staff member will prepare copies of your medical records you can take home. To avoid a long wait, you may wish to call ahead and schedule a time when they will not be very busy.
Accessing Medical Records Online
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Some large health care companies allow you to access your medical records online. To do this, you will need to visit your health care provider's website and register for an account. You may have to print out a form and mail it in with a photocopy of your ID before you can access records online or they may provide you with access based on your registration information. Check with your provider for details. Once you have access, you should be able to view your prescriptions and recent test results and communicate electronically with your doctor.
Receiving Medical Records by Mail
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If you've moved out of state or changed doctors, you will need to have your medical records sent. Some offices do this by mail, some by courier and some even by fax. Whatever way, a hard copy of your records will be transferred to your new doctor. You will need to fill out a form provided by your new doctor to be sent to the previous one. If you want copies of your medical records for yourself and not a new doctor, contact your health care provider and request a form you can fill out and mail back in. Once it's received, your records will be copied and sent to you as requested.
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