Are you supposed to get your medical records before you move? (school, moved)

[kbrkr]

When moving to a new area, are you supposed to request your medical records from your doctors? Do they just give them to you or are you supposed to notify your new doctor and they send transcripts to the new doctor?

Thanks
Al

[DiJay]

There are a few options. If you already know who your new dr/medical facility will be you could probably go ahead and request that they be sent to the new dr. If you don't know who you will have for a dr/medical facility then wait until you find one and then request the records -OR- you can get them before you leave and take them with you. Sometimes though if you take them yourself you may be charged a fee per page... If they send them dr to dr usually no charge.

Just keep in mind that you do need to fill out paperwork for the records to be sent on your behalf- you have to authorize this, they don't just send them on their own due to privacy laws etc.

Hope this helps-

[ZnGuy]

Originally Posted by kbrkr

When moving to a new area, are you supposed to request your medical records from your doctors? Do they just give them to you or are you supposed to notify your new doctor and they send transcripts to the new doctor?

Thanks
Al

You should get records. I called the records dept of hospital that I was moving from and had them submit to my local dr/hospital here. I believe that Mr. Obama is working to get all medical records accessible online.

[lovesMountains]

Originally Posted by kbrkr

When moving to a new area, are you supposed to request your medical records from your doctors? Do they just give them to you or are you supposed to notify your new doctor and they send transcripts to the new doctor?

Thanks
Al

You need to bring them with you. Your doctor will probably charge you a fee for copying them all, but you do want to have them to take to the new doctors you will see

[JanuaryGirl]

I prefer to have a copy of everything for myself, and if a new doctor needs them, they can make copies. That way if you switch docs in the new area or ever have trouble you don't have to rely on someone else to have/get them. I think doctors are legally obligated to make them available to you, but I have met a few that refused or made it difficult.... so, always better to have a copy yourself.

If you are one to use/trust online services, I recently started seeing a doctor who used Google Health and I LOVE it! All the records, including lab work, are stored online so I can access them anywhere, keep track of visits, etc. Hopefully more docs will start using this, although I know a lot of people don't want any part of it.

[meemo123]

As an RN for 20+ years it astounds me how little responsibility we take for our own health care, so I am happy to see someone that is and happy to answer this for you.
PLEASE have a current list of medications and allergies with you at all times, make copies and have one in pocket and one on your refridgerator. If any other pertinent info would be needed in an emergency have that also ie; pacemaker, aicd. (When it's implanted they will give you a card that is imperitive in an emergency).
Also a release of medical records is required for your MD to release any info to your new Doctor so sign that and it would be best for him to give you a copy of what we call an H&P, that is a history and physical and when it was done, this will list all surgeries/procedures with dates and chronic illnesses that require followup with specialists. Current prescribed medications at time it was written.
I know it's scary to find new health care but remember to utilize your right to seek a Dr. till you are comfortable with one and you feel as though you and he/she communicate well with each other.

[maja]

If I were you I'd start working on this right away and not wait until the last minute - and good luck! We recently moved out of state and I requested a copy of my families medical records to take with us. The only records they would release to me were my childrens' immunization records for school enrollment. I was told that the other medical records for our family would only be released to a new physician and not to us. I really didn't like this but was caught up in the craziness of a cross country move and didn't spend a lot of time fighting it. Of course, when we arrived at our new location after a two week coast to coast drive, we soon needed to take our daughter to see a doctor and had trouble finding one because they wouldn't see her without her medical records. We were referred to one "urgent care" facility in a nearby city. We are now faced with finding physicians for the whole family but apparently will have to have some "unknown" physician request our medical records and receive them before they will see us. Now what if we don't care for the physician and want to change doctors. Why can't we have possession of our own medical records? Then we can go with them whereever we like. This seems ridiculous to me. Has anyone else ever experienced this? How was it dealt with? (Our prior health care providers were part of a giant private health care organization, btw.)

[joyeaux]

and my OBGYN charged $90+ in total to scan each sheet onto a CD to send to my new doctor!

[texdav]

Hopefully you have a family doctor who requested your medical record form any specialist you saw to. that will make everyhting really easy. I always asked any spewcialist to send a reprot to my family doctor.

[PurpleLove08]

Originally Posted by joyeaux

and my OBGYN charged $90+ in total to scan each sheet onto a CD to send to my new doctor!

That's ridiculous!

I am seeing a new primary physician next week and I'm not even going to waste my time getting my records from my old doc.
She barely prescribed anything and I barely saw her for anything major.

I don't get any records from my doctors but in the future I will.