Blog

This week, we’re kicking off our series of Tracer stories by sharing stories from two patients who requested their health data and reported back to us about their experiences.  

Sarah’s Story
“I completed a long form to request data from one visit. It was denied because they couldn’t find the visit in the system because they did not read the form I fill[ed] out carefully enough. The denial came back to me in the mail four weeks later. I resubmitted, this time simply asking for all of the information in the system. A denial came back because they needed a credit card on file. I finally made an appointment with my doctor and she [w]as kind enough to print the visit note that I needed. After four months, I finally had the data I needed!”

Suzanne’s Story
“I logged onto our doctor’s patient portal and clicked on the button for records at the top of the screen. Two options popped up, View My Chart and Request Records. I clicked on Request Records and asked to see my husband’s [records]. They are much more complex than mine because he has MS and other chronic conditions. I called on Wednesday and very quickly spoke to a staffer who told me just to go back to the portal [and the records] would be posted there. And sure enough…[the records were ] posted the very same day I made the request.”

These two women had very different experiences. We hope that through the GetMyHealthData campaign, we can help more people have an experience like Suzanne’s, which was straightforward and efficient.

You can be part of the change. Join our Tracer Task Force:

1. Ask your doctors for copies of your medical records or other health data. Check out the tips and resources on the GetMyHealthData website.
2. Share your experience. Visit https://getmyhealthdata.org/share-your-experience/ to tell us what happened when you asked for your data.

Tune in next week for more from our Tracers – and tips for accessing your own health data.