The patient, a wiry businessman in his 50s, needed a copy of his medical records to bring to a specialist for a second opinion. He assumed that getting the copies would be straightforward; the records were, after all, his. But after multiple trips to his doctor’s office and the hospital and several days of missed…
Physician's story
Journal of General Internal Medicine: The Essence of Morning
by Leonor Fernandez, MD Hot coffee beckons with its promise of contraband comfort on a cold and busy Monday morning. Ms. H, my first patient, has not arrived yet. I consider a quick dash downstairs to the coffee shop. I can usually make it back in 4 minutes.… I glance at my email. You have 2 newPatientSitemessages.…
NPR: Doctors Don’t Agree On Letting Patients See Notes
Every time you see the doctor, he or she writes a note about the encounter for the record. Normally you never see it. A lot of what’s in that note is objective stuff about your blood pressure, weight and blood count. But often your doctor puts down subjective impressions. Did you seem down? Anxious? Angry?…