Medical Records Retrieval for Foreign Doctors and Medical Tourism Facilitators

Amy Reese Anderson, CEO of MediConnect Global

This is an addendum to “Online Personal Health Records the Easy Way,” which explains for patients  the myMediConnect online personal health records (PHR) system.

In this addendum we explain how the retrieval of health medical records works for foreign doctors and medical tourism facilitators.

Provider-paid record retrieval

Amy Rees Anderson, CEO of myMediConnect, answered, “The fee would be the same” whether for patient or provider.

“The price for record retrieval varies depending upon whether it’s for a medical record or an X-ray, but typically it runs $29.95 for the record or $39.95 for an X-ray plus whatever the provider charges as a processing fee – a fee set by some doctors for making a copy of a patient’s records,” explained Anderson.  That’s the price for the retrieval of one entire patient record from one doctor. ”

The patient, at no charge, can share their records with a provider either by sending the provider a secured hyperlink to an image of the record, or the patient can print the record or carry it on a USB flash drive key chain.”

There are several ways the patient can get their records to a foreign doctor.  “The doctor or healthcare provider can request record retrieval on behalf of a patient, but the patient must authorize access,” said Anderson.

Partner or Reseller Services

“Consumers are only one sector of the industry we service,” said Anderson. “We service life insurance, health insurance, and the legal industry as well – retrieving medical records on behalf of these businesses.   We have companies we are partnered with called partner channels or resellers.”

“So for example, we may have a partnership with a front-end software company that offers a legal case-management system. We would integrate it into our system so lawyers would then be allowed to request medical records,” she said.

“We tailor each agreement to the particular needs of the partner,” said Anderson. “For websites that do promotion for healthcare tourism, or for travel coordinators who set up the travel process, we set up a commission-based account to compensate them for the service generated through their business.”

Risks inherent in patient-controlled medical records

There is still risk to the provider that a patient might not voluntarily disclose all pertinent medical records.  However,  ePHR’s are a huge improvement over paper intake forms where a patient’s memory and perspective on their own health risks is the basis of an initial consult.

“As part of the patient’s treatment plan I inform my patients thoroughly of things that will affect their health and healing and therefore, their ultimate satisfaction and success of their procedure,” said Christina deMoraes, CEO and founder of www.MedNetBrazil.

She tells the following story that unfortunately is all too common in human nature:

“I had a patient that did not fill out the health history form honestly, fearing that the surgeon would not perform her surgery,” said deMoraes.  “She actually withheld two important pieces of information that affected not only her own health and safety, but ultimately that of her surgeon.  She did not admit to having Hepatitis C.”

“Following surgery, during which the surgeon had been poked, the patient admitted not disclosing her Hep C status.  ‘Everyone’s heart sank’ doesn’t quite express the feeling in the hospital room that day,” said deMoraes, “Next week, after having to wait three agonizing months to take the test, the surgeon will find out if he has contracted Hep C from her or not.”

In discussing this inherent risk to patient-controlled medical records, Anderson replied, “It is a valid point. On the patient side they need to feel their privacy is protected and have control of their information to feel comfortable and safe. On the treating provider side the provider needs to have some security that their life won’t be endangered by treating a patient without proper facts.

“My personal feeling is that the patient should control their medical records to the extent that withholding information could not possibly cause damage to somebody caring for them,” said Anderson.