Why Your Medical Records Do Not Follow You and How to Fix It

Why am I the one responsible for making sure my medical records get from one doctor to another?

You had an MRI several months ago.

Now you are seeing a new specialist, and the office asks whether you brought the imaging.

You thought the doctors would already have access to it.

This situation can happen when patients receive care from multiple practices or healthcare systems.

Your medical information may exist in several different places, and making sure the appropriate information reaches the next provider can become another responsibility for the patient.

Why Medical Records May Not Automatically Be Available

Healthcare organizations use different electronic health record systems.

Information may be available electronically within one healthcare organization but not automatically appear in another organization's system.

Records may also need to be requested or transferred before a new provider can access them.

Imaging creates another consideration. A radiology report and the actual diagnostic images are not necessarily the same thing.

If your specialist needs to review previous imaging, ask the office whether it needs the report, the images, or both.

You Have Rights to Your Health Information

Under HIPAA, patients generally have the right to inspect and receive copies of their protected health information maintained by covered healthcare providers and health plans, subject to limited exceptions. Patients can also direct certain information to be transmitted to another person or entity of their choice.

That means patients can play an active role in keeping their health information organized.

Ask Who Is Requesting the Records

When scheduling a new appointment, ask:

What records do you need? Who is requesting them? Do I need to sign an authorization? When should I confirm that they arrived?

Do not assume that another office has already completed the transfer.

Keep Copies of Important Information

Patients may benefit from maintaining their own organized copies of important medical information.

This can include:

1. Current medication list
2. Allergies
3. Major diagnoses
4. Previous surgeries
5. Important laboratory results
6. Imaging information
7. Names of current physicians
8. Important questions for upcoming appointments

Ask About Imaging

HHS guidance states that an individual's right of access can include diagnostic images such as X rays when they are part of the designated record set.

Ask the facility how you can access or receive the appropriate images when needed.

Record Coordination Becomes More Important as Care Becomes More Complex

Pay particular attention to records when:

1. You are seeing several physicians.
2. You have recently changed healthcare systems.
3. You are receiving care for an ongoing condition.
4. Several physicians prescribe medications.
5. You are preparing for a procedure.
6. You are coordinating care for a family member.
7. A physician asks for information from another provider.
8. You believe a test has already been completed.

Care coordination is intended to help information reach the appropriate people at the appropriate time. AHRQ identifies information sharing and organization of care activities as central elements of care coordination.

Who Can Help With Records?

Your primary care office may request records from another provider.

A specialist's office may request records before an appointment.

A hospital or healthcare system may have a medical records department that handles requests.

A care coordination service may also help patients organize and transfer records as part of its services.

The exact process depends on the organizations involved.

Before your next appointment, ask:

1. What records do you need?
2. Who is requesting them?
3. Do you need the actual imaging or only the report?
4. Has my previous provider sent the records?
5. How will I know when they have arrived?
6. Will you send today's visit information to my other physicians?
7. Can I receive a copy of my visit note and results?
8. Is there any information missing from my medical history?

A simple one page health summary can also help. Keep it updated with your current medications, allergies, physicians, major diagnoses, procedures, and important testing.

You Should Not Be the System of Record

The habits above work. Keep the one page summary. Ask who is requesting what. Confirm records arrived before the appointment rather than during it.

But look at what all of that actually makes you: the connection between every physician you see. When information does not move, you move it. When someone needs your imaging, you find it. When a test gets ordered twice, you are the only one who notices.

That is a real job, and nobody assigned it to you.

Compass Health provides comprehensive records management, a secure place for your health information — along with a dedicated care coordinator who requests and organizes records, confirms the specialist has what they need before your visit, facilitates communication between your providers, and tracks follow through afterward.

Compass Health also provides access to specialists across more than 25 specialty areas in Tampa Bay, with appointments within 3 to 5 business days when clinically appropriate.

Start the one page summary this week regardless. It is worth having.

If you are managing records across three or more physicians, you do not have to keep being the one who carries them.

📞 (813) 567-8778 · 🌐 thecompasshealth.com