Paul D Friedman
I strongly suggest you contact the Indiana Board of Medical Examiners/Indiana Licensing Board at www.in.gov/pla/medical.htm to determine if your physician is no longer practicing or, if so, where the doctor relocated. Also, this may constitute abandonment of care and the licensing board should show an interest.#N#More
Raymond Scott Costantino
Mr. Caldwell has given you some great advice. You may also wish to contact the board of medicine in your state with regard to fling a complaint against your doctor for this unprofessional behavior.
John Warwick Caldwell
Unprofessional? surely. Actionable? Unlikely.#N#That said ... someone has your records. Suggest you inquire at hospital where Dr. performed your surgery ... bet they will help you track down the records and will suggest an alternative physician.
How to get a copy of medical records?
When patients need a copy of their medical records, most start the process by calling their doctor’s office and asking for how to get access. The receptionist or office staff point them in the right direction, whether it’s instructing them to write down their request and sending it to the office, pointing them to contact ...
Who is the executive director of OpenNotes?
On September 26, 2020, a tweet from Cait DesRoches, Executive Director of OpenNotes, inquired about how a family member may get access to medical records from her physican’s practice that closed, triggering a robust conversation that led to the realization that patients and families are not well informed in these circumstances.
Is prevention worth a pound?
Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure. It can be much more difficult to get copies of records after a practice has closed. Patients should get copies of their medical records as they are generated instead of waiting until they’re needed. HIPAA Privacy Rule guidance states that individuals can get digital copies of digital information ...
How long do you have to keep medical records in California?
The California Medical Association recommends physicians keep records for at least ten years from the last date the patient was seen.
How long do medical records need to be retained?
New York requires that medical records be retained for six years from the date of the most recent entry in the record, and patients are required to informed when a practice closes. Virginia prohibits the transfer of medical records as part of the closure or sale of a practice until the provider has first attempted to notify by ...
Dear Consumer Ed
My doctor’s office closed down and now I don’t have access to my medical records. Aren’t these types of records supposed to be kept on file for several years so patients are protected from something like this happening?
Consumer Ed says
State laws generally govern how long medical records must be retained. In Georgia, a provider must normally retain records for 10 years from the date the record item was created. However, there are exceptions.
Do minutes matter in emergencies?
And you’ll waste valuable time by calling your doctor first, instead of seeking immediate medical attention. In true emergencies, minutes matter. It could mean the difference between saving heart muscle and losing it, or preserving brain function and losing it.
What to do when you call after hours?
Prepare for the call before you pick up the phone. When you call after hours, be prepared to give your name, phone number, and a short description of your problem. Answering services will want this basic information to pass along to the doctor. In some cases, you may reach a triage nurse who will ask for more detailed information.
Who is Sarah Lewis?
Sarah Lewis is a pharmacist and a medical writer with over 25 years of experience in various areas of pharmacy practice. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy degree from West Virginia University and a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from Massachusetts College of Pharmacy.
How to get medical records?
Here’s a quick checklist to get started: 1 Obtain Legal Advice – Work with an attorney to make sure legal bases are covered in terms of notifying relevant parties in a timely manner and complying with medical record retention and destruction laws. 2 Review your state law – Each state has different requirements for medical record retention. Confirm you know what is expected so your organization is in compliance. Get more information on state medical record retention here. 3 Review Medical Record Retention Options – If you haven’t already invested in transferring legacy medical records into an archive, now might be the time to investigate your options. Records can be stored electronically in a vendor-managed cloud with information released for a fee using an 800-number and/or online request for payers, patients, employers, lawyers, auditors, etc. Contact Harmony Healthcare IT for more information about health data archival. 4 Create a Legacy Data Management Plan – The data experts at Harmony Healthcare IT have put together a process that has helped hundreds of ambulatory and acute care organizations evaluate their legacy clinical, financial, HR and ERP system portfolio to create a Legacy Data Management Strategy that works. The process guides providers through a system inventory, financial forecast and system prioritization for decommissioning legacy systems enterprise-wide.
What is a record retention strategy?
If your practice or hospital is among those that may soon close its doors, it’s time to develop a record retention strategy. This entails putting a plan into action for securing electronic records long-term. While this certainly includes protected health information for patients as dictated by the organization’s medical record retention policy, it also includes other business and employee information like general ledger, accounting and HR record retention.
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