Pulmonary Hypertension News Forums Forums PH Care and Treatment Diagnosis Information and ​General​ ​Questions What Tips Do You Have For Maintaining Your Medical Records?

  • What Tips Do You Have For Maintaining Your Medical Records?

    Posted by Colleen on October 5, 2021 at 4:26 pm

    I try to keep copies of medical records organized in a binder but I wasn’t always good about doing so. Prior to Cullen’s PH diagnosis I simply relied on contacting our internist or pediatrician if I needed a former record of something.

    The reason I bring up this topic is because I just had an embarrassing mom oops moment. I can’t remember at what time each of my children were born. I know they were both born very early in the morning but Aidan, who will turn 21 in December, wants to know the exact time he was born.

    We moved from WI to WA when the boys were 3 and 4. I remember requesting their medical records to be forwarded to their new pediatrician but I guess I just assumed it happened. It didn’t.

    I called both the hospital where they were born and their former pediatrician in WI and found out both places purge the records of patients who they haven’t seen in 10 years. I had no idea records get tossed at all. I thought they would be stored in a computer somewhere but I guess not. Did anyone else know this?

    SO if you have moved and have not had your medical records transferred for either yourself or a family member, make sure you do before you forget – the years fly by and it’s too late to obtain them.

    jen-cueva replied 2 years, 5 months ago 3 Members · 5 Replies
  • 5 Replies
  • jen-cueva

    Member
    October 8, 2021 at 1:11 pm

    Hi @colleensteele, I am sorry that you can’t get a hold of these medical records for the boys. Can you not request a birth certificate from the state that they were born?

    I thought that some states have the time of birth on those, right?

    I am missing my records from when I was trying to get my PH diagnosis. I do know that, as @jimi reported, some of his records at the VA were in a basement. Those were flooded in the basement of the hospital, where they kept older medical records.

    I was doing a great job at keeping my medical records before. But now, with My Charts, etc., I have not been diligent. I am hoping this won’t make it difficult for me when I am transitioning doctors.

    • Colleen

      Member
      October 8, 2021 at 5:17 pm

      @jenc I have their birth certificates but it doesn’t provide their time of birth. I’m thinking there just has to be a record of that somewhere. I wonder if I order new ones if it would be on those.

      How awful is it that I don’t remember the exact time of day my kids were born? I’m usually so nostalgic and I’m embarrassed that for some reason, I didn’t record anywhere their time of birth.

    • joyce-sandberg

      Member
      October 12, 2021 at 5:03 pm

      Coleen, Have you tried the state records for the birth date and time.  I was able to ascertain those from the state of N.J. 35 years ago.  All birth records have to be recorded.

       

       

       

       

       

      • Colleen

        Member
        October 12, 2021 at 6:40 pm

        @joyce-sandberg I have not tried the state records yet. I will do that! Thank you!

  • jen-cueva

    Member
    October 13, 2021 at 8:56 am

    Hi @colleensteele. Hopefully, with that suggestion from @joyce-sandberg, you can get this information.

    KK was born at 11:06 PM; I went in about 11 AM after my water broke. Were you in labor that long with either of the boys?

    Please let us know once you get your hands on that information, hopefully before Aidan’s birthday. Offer yourself a bit of grace; you probably have more records than you could ever imagine at home.

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