Monterey, CA Pacific Grove, CA Take Control Of Your Electronic Medical Records

There is no turning back, we have entered the new age of digital medical records.  The question is, how do you use this to your advantage?  A growing number of patient advocates are trying to spread the word to American health-care consumers that they need to take control of the information that is out there electronically.   “For consumers to start requesting and using their health information will be a game-changer for the health-care system,” Christine Bechtel, a consultant for the National Partnership for Women and Families who spearheads the Get My Health Data campaign to get patients to ask doctors for their records, told The Wall Street Journal.  “Once we unlock the data, there’s an enormous amount we can do with it.”  Indeed, taking charge of your own records helps circumvent “data lock”—where one doctor’s records system can’t talk with another’s, or when hospitals make a stink about transferring files to competing providers.  By obtaining their records, you can serve as your own data hub and give out information when you are consulting specialists, seeking second opinions or shopping for less expensive care.  Talk to your primary physician to get the process started in order to gain access to all of your electronic medical records.