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How (and why) to check your medical records

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act is designed to protect patient health information and guard medical privacy. Only you, your insurance company and your doctors can access your records.

You may want to have a copy of your records to check for mistakes or to recall your medication history.

Talk to your doctor's office about how to access your records online. Different services require different procedures.

Some doctors require you to fill out a form. Do it at the doctor's office in case you need help. Write down specific information you want, such as blood pressure, scans, blood and urine tests, cholesterol levels, and history of surgery or other procedures. Pay any fee.

When you receive the records, check to see that all the information you requested is included.

Check the records for mistakes. If you find anything you don't understand, call the health-care provider's office and ask for an explanation. If it is a mistake, ask the provider to amend or delete the inaccurate information. A mistake could cause a health insurance company to reject you, or it could cause doctors to make inaccurate diagnoses.

Once you have the records, it will be convenient to share a copy with physicians you see for a second opinion or specialists you are referred to.
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Comments

  1. Stacy BarbeeSeptember 21, 2012 at 6:32 AM

    Medical records hold a special significance when you’re out to buy your health insurance policy. If you’re about to get a life insurance coverage, then also the insurers determine your life expectancy by checking your medical records. And it’s extremely necessary to update your medical records at periodic intervals. The rates for your insurance policies depend upon how healthy you’re. The medical record of a person is the determiner of his health condition. Conveniently, the new mandate, or the so-called Obamacare has tried to remove the existing bias about those with pre-existing conditions. Individuals with medical conditions, those diagnosed with autism will now be covered by the insurance companies, and coverage can’t be denied for them. Besides, the Medicare and Medicaid programs also facilitate health care for the US citizens.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Darlene KellerSeptember 21, 2012 at 7:01 AM

    Thank you Stacy for the valuable information.
    So much to understand about health care.
    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete

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