Changing Doctors......?

Question

My question is this, Ive decided to change my Dr., Ive just come to the decision that he isnt thorough enough to deal w my complicated health issues. My Question is this, all my files, records, charts & things of this nature...my new Dr will need these things do I need to go to my old Dr & get all this stuff or will my new Dr call & request for them to be faxed to him/her?

just to let you know Im not really a Dr shopper its just that Ive been withmy Dr for a bout a year now & recently Ive been sick for about 2 months under his care & nothing seems to be being done about it except the same thing over & over OBVIOUSLY its not working....also he always asks me what I want him to do....like when I was there yesterday he ask if I wanted him to draw blood/do a urinalisis/things like that...I DONT KNOW hes the Dr he should be making the decisions NOT ME!!! its great to have my input valued & all but when it all comes down to it he shoudl be making the calls.....if he thinks a blood draw will help to diagnios(sp) the problem then do so, dont ask me if I want a blood draw Im not schooled & trained in making medical decisions & prognosis's HE IS, well suppossed to be anyways....he's really nice n all but I just feel he's not the right Dr for me, I mean Ive been under his care for the same problem for 2 months & IM STILL SICK...anyways Thanks for all your help

Answer 1

You will have to sign a release form giving your doc the permission to tranfeer records. Don't worry about hurting your old doc's feelings, they have this happen all the time. The doc or the office won't give it a second thought

Answer 2

Have you been doing ALL that this Dr has told you to do. . .such as taking all of the antibiotic medicine he may have prescribed?
If he has given you antibiotics and you are not taking them as he has prescribed or you are not finishing the prescription he has given you,it is possible that you will continue to be sick.
If the Dr is asking you what you want him to do,he is probably getting the feeling that you are not happy with what he is doing.
If your problems are as complicated as you say they are,things won't change overnight. First things first and sometimes a complicated situation takes alittle more than a few months to resolve.
If you are infact going to seek another Dr because you don't think your current Dr is doing much then why would you want records of "not much"?
I don't think you would really need those records. . . start new with your new Dr.

Answer 3

Your old doctor has an ethical (possibly legal) responsibility to provide your new doctor with a copy of your health record.

In an emergency, the ER doctors will call your normal GP (often at home) and ask for details over the phone.

Your old doctor may charge a small fee to allow your new doctor to get your health records. Your new doctor may expect you to pay that bill.

You may even be able to obtain a copy of your health records. Privacy laws require that doctors allow their patients access to this information. He is recording information about you so you have the right to see what he is writing (this applies to every OECD country).

This is a viable option if you plan to move to another country and you have any health records you want to take with you.

Oh, and don't tell your new doctor you are swapping because you didn't like your old doctor. Doctors don't like doctor shoppers, because generally those sort of patients are a lot of trouble.

Finally, consider seeing if your doctor will provide you with a personal health record. Some places use this and it can be very useful if you have an acute on chronic episode (you have a health condition whic is ongoing, and you then get sick enough to go to the hospital ER).

The personal health record is also useful if you find yourself going to many doctors for a range of different purposes.