Hi Michelle, I didn't mean you "marched up demanding" just that it often happens. I'm not too touchy feely on paper but I do sympathisize with your plight.

Alba is right about HIPAA. Every one with confidential information must have a clear policy avialable for you to read and sign and must provide you with a copy of your records with only some exceptions in place. You should have been provided with a copy of their HIPAA policy and guidelines for receiving records. If you weren't provided this and signed it, they are in violation of the federal statute.

States have different statutes in place about how much time the office can take to copy and send. Most require a signature and the law says they can charge you up to about a dollar a page. The nice offices like mine, don't charge anything but it is time consuming and takes time from paid for tasks.

I also have great sympathy for people in accidents who must see many doctors for worker's comp, PIP insurance treatment, or SSD requirements. The hoops they make you jump through are a nightmare. I try to help all my therapy clients with documentation for such things and gladly interpret and often help fill out forms for them. It's like getting rear-ended all over again, isn't it?

At any rate, it sounds as though you can get your records for a small fee after forty eight hours and find a doctor who treats you like a human being. Good luck

I do like the idea of getting copies while in the office. I'm going to try that myself. The problem with that is that the doctor does his notes and then they must be sent out to be typed in most cases. My doctor's office does send me the results of blood tests, which I am greatful for but the gynecologist office is totally incompetent. I once got a form letter with places for checks to tell me my results of a pap and nothing was checked!!!

But when it comes to x-rays, and other tests, the wait time and the many offices that handle them (radiologists, doctors, x-ray office, HMO) are a nightmare to coordinate and track down. I gave up after I felt that my second breast x-ray was accurately read. Now to go through it all again this year...
love, harpgirl