Difficulties Accessing Medical Records Will Soon Be Outdated, Says Commonwealth Fund
Historically, hospitals have argued that medical records belong to the health care provider, not the patient, Siegal said. They were hesitant to share the records for fear of malpractice, and to protect patients from bad news, but that’s changing as medical culture embraces more transparency and patient engagement, she said. Most electronic health records now have patient portals where patients can peer in and see lab results and other information.
But patients can’t download their whole medical record in an electronic file, and not all of the information — such as physician’s notes — appears in the portal, said Dr. David Blumenthal, president of The Commonwealth Fund and former US national coordinator for health information technology...