August 7th, 2010 
Health Guardz 
What is written in my medical records?
Have you ever left a doctor’s office or hospital with unanswered questions about your health condition or medical treatment? Given our current health care system, in which most doctors or medical providers spend only a few minutes with their patients, it is not uncommon for the patients themselves to have little or no information regarding their own healthcare.
While the health care provider may not provide much information directly to the patient, the patient’s medical record often contains important information regarding the patient’s health. When it comes to ensuring you are receiving the best medical care possible, obtaining copies of your medical records is a terrific way to meet this goal.
Why is having a copy of your medical records important?
Most people have more than one doctor involved in their health care. While your primary care physician usually acts as the manager of your health care, often your specialist physicians do not communicate with each other or do not receive important information about your medical history. Lack of communication between your physicians can lead to mistakes and problems. One of the best ways to avoid problems and to ensure that all of your medical providers have the information they need about your medical history is to keep copies of your own medical records and bring them with you to medical appointments. This doesn’t mean you need to carry around stacks and stacks of medical records. However, it is suggested you have your most up-to-date medical records with you at your medical appointments. It is not safe to assume that your specialist physicians, such as cardiologist, orthopedists and endocrinologist, have seen your medical records or have all the information they need regarding your health.
How do you obtain copies of your medical records?
You ask! The simplest way to obtain copies of your medical records is to ask your doctor’s office for copies following each appointment. Even if they are not immediately available, you should request your records or test results be mailed to you as soon as they become available. You will be required to confirm your request for records in writing and sign such request.
The laws in New York State allow a patient to request their own medical records from any medical provider or health facility. For example, the “Patient’s Bill of Rights” allows a patient to review their own hospital medical record without charge and to also obtain a copy of such records for a reasonable fee. The hospital is not permitted to deny you a copy of your medical records just because you cannot afford to pay the charged fee.
Other “qualified persons” can also gain access to medical records and obtain copies if requested. Such “qualified persons” include parents of minor children, attorneys, holders of health care proxies for living people and distributees of a deceased family member.
Did the doctor of hospital give me the records I asked for?
The quick answer is maybe, or maybe not. In the “old” days, medical records were kept in actual medical charts, on real paper, and were stored on shelves. However, those days are gone. You have probably noticed that many doctor’s offices and hospitals have computers, which the doctors, nurses and receptionists use to record everything that occurs during your doctor’s appointment or hospital stay. Many times the record or note of your medical appointment is only available on a computer system and is never printed off and placed in your “paper” medical chart. While computers have aided the medical community in sharing information about patient such as you, often times medical providers don’t know where to look for a patient’s medical records. One doctor may only look at the computer records and not the paper medical chart itself, when there could be valuable information found only in the paper chart, and not on the computer, or vice versa.
That is why it is very important that when you request to view or copy your medical records, you also request copies of any computer or electronically stored materials that relate to your health. For example, laboratory test results or radiology reports may only be available by searching a computer database, and not recorded in the paper chart, so you want to make sure to specifically request all records, not just those that are contained within your “paper” medical chart.
“Cheat Sheet” for your health
It seems like everyone today has a Blackberry®, IPhone® or at least a computer they use everyday. Why not create a “cheat sheet” of your medical information for quick use at medical appointments or in case of a medical emergency? It can be as simple as a list of what medications you are currently taking (including dosage and frequency) and the name, address and phone number of all of your current treating physicians. You may also want to include your health insurance plan information and the name and contact information of your heath care proxy, if you have one.
With your “cheat sheet” available, you can have confidence that your medical providers will have basic up-to-date information at each appointment. You can even provide the nurse or doctor with a copy of your “cheat sheet” to save time and ensure accuracy.
Watch the video related to medical records
At the heart of healthcare transformation are electronic health records, the basic building blocks of healthcare efficiency. IBM has a long history of creating and connecting systems to share patient information. When standardized and shared, electronic health records provide a powerful means of increasing accuracy and speeding the delivery of patient information to the point of care. They enable better collaboration, more complete records, and better service.
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I agree with you entirely. The insurance companies lobby most politicians into getting what they want. I really don't think insurance reform would be bad for this country. The government tries to scare us into thinking that we will get less care and can't pick our own doctors. That's a bunch of bullshit!! I've been on both sides of the tracks. I've seen the benefits of having government insurance and then having to see what private insurance does over here. Over here the insurance companies have too much damn power and not enough compassion and scruples to help the deathly ill. If we are all healthy, then they will bend over backwards for us, if we are gravely ill you can forget it. People are not properly informed about this type of insurance and only hear and believe what they want to. I am all for this type of insurance.
The private insurance companies are all about making a profit and paying top notch to those who will keep them making the money.
As for all these people that don't give a damn, I wonder if you would still feel the same if you or your loved ones had a life threatening disease and the insurance companies cut them off and they died because it. Think about that. If you still feel the same it's no wonder this country is going into the toilet!!
Watch this film by Michael Moore. It's called "Sicko". It definitely changed my mind. Don't be naive.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6646340600856118396&hl=en
There were a few grammatical errors. Also, if the person, Lulu, was really that critically ill, the doctor should be tending to her, and a nurse should constantly be monitoring her vital signs.
Other than that, it was really great and I'd love to read more!
this job is becoming more paperless as software and databases take over
@DaMostEnigmatic so you telling me everything is becoming computerized?
Actually I think Obama's right to do this. If your religious beliefs will prevent you from doing your entire job, then you should find a different job that you can do.
For example: If you're so muslim that you can't touch pork, then applying for a job at the Jimmy Dean's sausage factory would be a poor choice, and no one would even consider shutting down the plant for you. If you're so christian that you can't abide the sight of pornography, then you would be foolish to apply for a job at an adult book store, and no one would even consider blocking the view of the displays so you wouldn't be offended inside the store.
We have a free market, and that applies to employees as well as businesses- you are not assigned a career, and you will never be indentured to a job in this country. If you can't do your job, then do something else.
I think this video is very good. Although, i do have extensive medical records experience, as well as heath information. I,m still un-employed in tampa, fl. My resume is uploaded on line in Wd as suzannebealts 2009 resume. I applied for many jobs like the one in your viedo, but most companies in tampa, fl hire people, who they know, or hired people who they think are qualified but don’t know shit.
I'm sorry but I can't make heads or tails of this mess. Please explain the situation in your own words, that quoted conversion isn't much use.
In general this is allowed as free speech, but there are exceptions (so this is where the exact situation is really important), and of course if you post on Facebook you have to abide by there rules as well the law.
How about the guy who walked into a bank, then ordered the teller to deposit funds into his account at gun point. Then rode his bicycle home to the awaiting sheriff.
You are being asked to explain why you could not do your job for a longer time on your last 3 jobs.
They just want more information on what you where doing while you where working those jobs.
They just want to double check that you didn't do anything to get fired or where not doing anything to jeperdise the profitability of your employers.
Remember, your the employee, so don't be cocky, be pleasant with short answers.
Yes, Suzanne, the “technicians” they talk about don’t know the first thing about the anatomy of a medical record. It is a race to the bottom as far as quality is concerned and there are going to be big problems with keeping the records on the net for hackers and unscrupulous medical transcription centers in India (who sell the records) to pilfer.
Yes, and here's how it would look in a narrative:
"A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOE REPUBLICAN"
Joe gets up at 6 a.m. and fills his coffeepot with water to prepare his morning coffee. The water is clean and good because some liberal fought for minimum water-quality standards. With his first swallow of water, he takes his daily medication. His medications are safe to take because some liberal fought to ensure their safety and that they work as advertised.
All but $10 of his medications are paid for by his employer's medical plan because some liberal union workers fought their employers for paid medical insurance – now Joe gets it too.
He prepares his morning breakfast, bacon and eggs. Joe's bacon is safe to eat because some liberal fought for laws to regulate the meat packing industry.
In the morning shower, Joe reaches for his shampoo. His bottle is properly labeled with each ingredient and its amount in the total contents because some liberal fought for his right to know what he was putting on his body and how much it contained.
Joe dresses, walks outside and takes a deep breath. The air he breathes is clean because some liberal fought for the laws to stop industries from polluting our air.
He walks on the government-provided sidewalk to the subway station for his government-subsidized ride to work. It saves him considerable money in parking and transportation fees because some liberal fought for affordable public transportation, which gives everyone the opportunity to be a contributor.
Joe begins his work day. He has a good job with excellent pay, medical benefits, retirement, paid holidays and vacation because some liberal union members fought and died for these working standards. Joe's employer pays these standards because Joe's employer doesn't want his employees to call the union.
If Joe is hurt on the job or becomes unemployed, he'll get a worker compensation or unemployment check because some liberal didn't think he should lose his home because of his temporary misfortune.
It is noontime and Joe needs to make a bank deposit so he can pay some bills. Joe's deposit is federally insured by the FSLIC because some liberal wanted to protect Joe's money from unscrupulous bankers who ruined the banking system before the Great Depression.
Joe has to pay his federally underwritten mortgage and his below-market federal student loan because some liberal decided that Joe and the government would be better off if he was educated and earned more money over his lifetime. Joe also forgets that his in addition to his federally subsidized student loans, he attended a state funded university.
Joe is home from work. He plans to visit his father this evening at his farm home in the country. He gets in his car for the drive. His car is among the safest in the world because some liberal fought for car safety standards to go along with the tax-payer funded roads.
He arrives at his boyhood home. His was the third generation to live in the house financed by Farmers' Home Administration because bankers didn't want to make rural loans.
The house didn't have electricity until some liberal stuck his nose where it didn't belong and demanded rural electrification.
He is happy to see his father, who is now retired. His father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Joe wouldn't have to.
Joe gets back in his car for the ride home, and turns on a radio talk show. The radio host keeps saying that liberals are bad and conservatives are good. He doesn't mention that the beloved Republicans have fought against every protection and benefit Joe enjoys throughout his day. Joe agrees: "We don't need those big-government liberals ruining our lives! After all, I'm a self-made man who believes everyone should take care of themselves, just like I have."
As I understand it, the only use of an implanted micro chip is to identify a dead body. Does that sound safe?
It should be legalised all over the planet.
It is a crime for any state to seek to control what the citizenship chooses to smoke. And a clear and direct infringement of personal freedom.
Suzanne, If your work attitude is as bad as it is on here, I wouldn’t hire you neither!