I called and asked for a hard copy of the last four visits with notes. I wanted to pick them up today.
My doctor's office said they charge $25 to look up anything other than the last visit.
Is this normal?
In New York State, the law allows physicians and institutions to charge no more than 75 cents a page, plus postage, for paper copies of medical records. Physicians may charge the actual reproduction costs for radiographic materials, such as X-rays or MRI films. A provider may not impose a charge for original mammogram films, but may charge postage.
However, an individual cannot be denied access to information solely because he or she is unable to pay.
The point here is that one may reasonably expect to see records on a patient portal as of 5/2021. This is “free.” I tend to read and preserve all notes, test results, and other in my own archive.
What transpires in the visit may or may not correspond to the notes. I’ve discovered erroneous diagnosis, e.g., MS. There is no explanation for this mistake other than human error. I’ve received blood levels of “0.” They ordered the wrong test, etc.
I also maintain a dated list of all visits, so when I request notes I list exact dates, doctors name, and know services rendered. Otherwise, when requesting notes, you may get a 2-year abstract that could be completely useless.
Another way to obtain records is have them sent to another doctor, this is usually free of charge. If you have a family member or friend who is a doctor perhaps they can receive and give to you.
The electronic medical record system is a billing system. Our health history is victim to the available codes.
If you look for another doctor and accessing the notes is important, perhaps a doctor with a patient portal is better. If your doctor already has a portal, the notes should be there for your use going back to April 2021. This law was supposed to go into effect earlier (11/20?) and was delayed, however many practices have shared doctors‘ notes pre-2020.
ETA: one can always ask at time of prescription why a therapy is being used in both eyes rather than one or the other. Medicine (upper case M) is also an art where clinical judgement matters and therapies may often be implemented on less than 100% definitive “proof.” The patient is then followed for response, disease progression, etc.
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