Do you know how to access your medical records? Do you know how many and what drugs you are taking and how they interact with one another? An advocate can help.
I was talking to a friend over the weekend about an ailment she has been diagnosed with. While we were talking, she indicated a lab result, which contradicted the diagnosed ailment. I asked to see her lab results, to which she replied she did not have access to them. I said: What about your medical record; nope, she did not have access to that either! My friend needs an advocate, and that conversation resulted in this post.
What I Know.
Having worked for a health care payor for 14 years, I know the system is convoluted and extremely difficult to navigate. For seniors, it is even harder because of the number of specialists, prescriptions, and diagnostic tests they see/receive each year. Does your cardiologist have access to your primary care doctor’s medical record or vice versa? What about your rheumatologist, gynecologist, dermatologist, eye doctor, hospital, etc. Furthermore, do these doctors have access to your advanced directives (see last post)?
Unfortunately, I know the answer to this is a resounding “NO!”
This is information about you! You should have easy access to it. There is no reason for you not to have the information you (or your advocate) need to be able to talk to your doctor. Whether it is to talk about contradictory results between a diagnosis and a lab result, lab work that might be indicating an adverse reaction, or how a new drug might interact with your current drugs. But how many people do this versus just relying on their doctors?
Society tells us to revere doctors, which makes it very uncomfortable to question them. Not to disparage doctors, but they have A LOT of patients and there are a lot of new guidelines, procedures, and drugs introduced daily. There is no way that doctors can possibly remember details on every single patient and/or stay up to date on every new drug or treatment available. They are not superhuman! Therefore, every one of you must be your own best advocate.
Patient Advocate Resource
I have posted before about The Patient Advocate Foundation, which can help you find a patient advocate to assist in navigating the health care world and understanding your medical coverage. To learn more about the Patient Advocate Foundation, go here: https://www.patientadvocate.org/.
Medical Record Access
However, even a patient advocate needs to understand your medical history, and that is really what this post is about. How can you begin to put your foot in the water to take control of your medical records and history?
Here is what I am doing.
For some context, I have had the same medical insurance company for 15 years. That insurer has had the same pharmaceutical manager and has used the same low-cost lab for that period. In addition, my last two primary care doctor offices have had patient portals, as well as several of my specialists.
As soon as my primary care/specialist opens a patient portal, I sign up. I have signed up for my lab, imaging, and pharmaceutical patient portals as well. In both primary care patient portals, I filled out my history, which was lost when I changed primary care offices. As I mentioned, the system is not perfect! I sign every Hixny consent (more on Hixny in a bit), and I put my primary care doctor down as a recipient of all my medical results. This includes mammograms, pap, stress test, colonoscopy, bone density, etc.
What have my results been?
My mammogram, colonoscopy, and CT scan results have always been posted to my primary care portal, as are my lab results when I use the low-cost lab, not unfortunately when I use other labs. My bone density was not forwarded to my primary care, so I had to call. It turned out to be just an oversight, which was quickly fixed, and the results are now in my primary care portal. However, this experience highlights why it is so important for YOU to keep track of your own records. Stay vigilant!
I will have to say that my best experience with a patient portal is with the low-cost lab. The information is typically posted within 24 hours of the blood draw to my lab and primary care patient portals. In addition, I have an Apple iPhone, which has a health app. I have connected that app to my low-cost lab patient portal and can open up my labs in any doctor’s office. At this time, the health app does not connect to my pharmacy or primary care portals.
Finally, I am just about to sign up for Hixny’s patient portal. This should be an all-inclusive patient portal that will be easily portable if I change doctors. In addition, I am hoping Hixny will also house my advanced directives, so that my medical professionals can access them.
HIXNY
What is Hixny? Quote taken directly from their website – https://www.hixny.org/about/
“In 1999, healthcare collaborators and competitors came together to improve care in the greater Capital Region following the introduction of the federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Through mergers, expansions, and restructurings, Hixny has become one of the nation’s most successful and ground-breaking health information networks (HINs). Ours is an ongoing story of collaboration, evolution, and innovation to drive better care and lower costs with one-point access to every person’s healthcare record.”
For 20+ years, Hixny has been figuring out how to connect its systems to the local hospitals, physicians, diagnostic providers, labs, etc., to accumulate a patient’s information in one place.
Why is this so important? Because if you are in a serious car accident and are unresponsive, the emergency room (ER) doctor needs to know your medical history. If you have metal in your body, the ER doctor needs to know that before performing an MRI! To prevent negative prescription interactions, the ER doctor needs to know what drugs you are taking. If you have a latex or drug allergy, your comprehensive medical record will indicate that. You should also be able to maintain your advanced directives in your patient portal so that all doctors know your wishes.
After 20 years, Hixny is now offering a patient portal, and since they should be connected to every doctor in the capital district, they should have all of my medical information! If I find they do not, I will be calling my provider to find out why they are not connected to Hixny. This is the next small step I can take to help get a centralized medical record on me, for my doctors and advocates to have access to!
Let’s Keep the Conversation Going!
What do you do? Does anyone have a Hixny patient portal experience they can share? What has worked for you and what hasn’t? Do you have a question about a specific item? What war story do you have that made you start keeping track of your own medical records?