When we think of EHRs we think of erasing the need for paper charts. But do we ever think about what happens when a patient needs their records sent to them? While some physicians are thinking of creative ways to electronically send patient records, most still print them out. When I thought about this, I couldn’t help but laugh to myself about how inefficient printing out records must be for physicians. Many patients have requested their records only to receive cumbersome piles of paper charts. Let’s hear the story straight from a patient who received an unsettling package at her door.
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| The unsightly waste |
Elizabeth Barmay, a former top hospital patient, was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes five years ago. With the ups and downs of her sometimes unmanageable disease, she was referred by a family member to a Florida doctor who specializes in type 1 diabetes. Take a gander at what they asked for to proceed with next steps for treatment? You guessed it -Health records. Any forward thinking individual would have thought a file could be emailed. Yet the world renowned hospital mailed her a large package weighing more than a small puppy.
Inside that $13.40 package were hundreds of sheets of paper generated from years of treatment. For the average patient, a lot of the information received might not even make sense without a health provider’s translation. Furthermore, the average patient doesn’t have time to decipher all the technical lab data and insurance codes doctors are so good at creating. When one hears about top hosptials, one may think of the successes they’ve had and the impact they’ve had on the health sector. But when you hear how a large organization is wasting paper by the boat-loads, you start to question their grasp on technology. I sat down with Elizabeth, to get her insight on what it was like to receive this overwhelming medical history.
1. How has your experience with obtaining health records been in the past?
It’s been a very difficult experience. Whenever I’ve moved and asked for records I had to first get an authorization, then they take their time and possibly charge for x-rays. In this case with the hospital I had to fax a form requesting all the records, never got them and after numerous calls I was told I would be getting them shortly. It took about 2 months for hospital and a few weeks for my local doctor, but both unfortunately sent me paper records.
2. How long did it take?
Two months; luckily my appointment in Florida isn’t till November.
3. What was your first thought when you received the package?
I literally said out loud “Oh my God, what? Are they kidding?” I know I went there for a few years but never in my wildest dreams did I think they would send me hundreds of pages. It’s literally bigger them a two reams of paper. I never thought they would send all this paper, I was shocked at the waste of paper and I have no idea how to get this to Florida other than to scan it and put it on a disk, I thought they’d send a summary but not this. In today’s technology you would think a corporation like theirs would electronically send the records.
4. In your eyes, why is it an inconvenience for you as a patient?
First of all it’ll be costly for me to send this and second of all, I work full-time and now I have to go through all these lab records, most of which aren’t even relevant.
5. How about as a doctor?
I’m sure the doctor in Florida doesn’t have a lot of time; he’s not going to want to look through a ream of pages, completely loose, unnumbered.
6. In your opinion what would have been an easier substitute for this large package?
An option for me to see my records electronically, select a file and then forward it to a doctor. That could have been done in a day and would have been convenient for not only me but for the doctor and the medical records staff.
7. How important is it for you to access your medical history?
Due to my diabetes, I have so many illnesses and I constantly need to go to new specialists and repeat my history making sure I don’t leave out important names, facts and tests. Every time I go to a new doctor I come with a long list of information of my medications, past doctors and sometimes I leave realizing I didn’t rely certain information because I forgot.
Important lab work, contact information, diagnoses
9. As a diabetic, how important is it to have your access to your medical records?
It could be life threatening if I don’t have full knowledge of my history to share, especially if I had to go to a hospital and couldn’t speak for myself. It’s life-saving for them to be able to pull up my information electronically and not have to wait for it to be transformed.
Elizabeth Barmay isn’t the only one who wonders why a renowned hospital didn’t email an electronic folder of files or send a disc, instead of wasting paper. It’s crazy to think that in a world where almost everything we do uses some form of technology to improve processes, we are still finding ways to waste, whether that’s time or paper. While Beth might have to go through the trouble of sending the records on her own dime, some day she will thank the IT gods (ahem, our Practice Fusion engineers) for tools such as ChartShare to send electronic referrals. I can’t give out too many details but let’s just say the future of ChartShare is so bright we’re going to need a good pair of sunglasses.
Shea Steinberg
Jr. Social Media Specialist
Practice Fusion
