Hi everyone. While it is true that providers are not obligated to send records which were not generated at his or her office (I wasn't aware you didn't have to keep them), you also can send them. Personally, and especially since we can charge quite a bit (more than I think we should be able to -- 10.00 first page and .37 cents a pager thereafter, I think) I think we owe it to our patients to at least send the complete medical record especially when they transfer. Or offer to send it as has been noted.
I used to feel the other way, until I recently left my old practice and opened my own practice. Over 1,000 patients transferred in one month. At first my old practice was refusing to send the entire chart. This, of course, caused quite an uproar. But, I just don't see how a special needs or chronically ill patient who has see 10 consultants and been hospitalized 20 times should be expected to track down all those records.
Of course, as everyone knows since we are talking about scanning, in the year 2007 everything should be digitalized anyway and done over the net. The copying and faxing is a bit archaic. : )
