It’s my understanding that during the pandemic, a program called Share Everywhere was created so doctors and hospitals had easy access to all of your doctors notes, scans, and labs. This was to help reduce paperwork burdens for transferring patients, quickly confirm past medical treatment, and of course help keep costs down by not reordering tests done recently. In the past 2 weeks, I took papers, and sent electronic reports in advance of 2 new doctor appointments in the state I just moved to. I found it was a waste of my time and trees, as they already had them. They don’t even need you to sign permission to access your information from other doctors outside their system as in the past. I am not sure if this is only with the EPIC system, but most major medical networks are linked to that I would think. I may be wrong about this system, but I know my 2 visits recently already had my records. I have a new PCP and Cardiologist in the next couple of weeks, and I am not going to dig out prior records or make copies before I go. I guess it will be clear to me then what they already have access to or what they need incrementally, and it would be better than flooding them with duplication since time is valuable. PS - I was a bit stunned when a friendly doctor nicely told me we would have to have a hard stop by x o’clock because they get written up and “docked” if they’re more than 3 minutes late to patients appt time. As a patient who enjoys tremendously when I have appointments kept on schedule, I’ve respected that and come prepared with written notes (copy for their records too) & talk fast. But I never thought for a minute that the medical business has started penalizing doctors for it. I have even more compassion toward helping them with the ridiculous time constraints now. I still would appreciate having my allotted minutes, but when they’re late, I realize they are desperate in their need to catch up to eventually get to one of their appointments on time. I don’t like to be rushed when I have reserved time, and I look forward to visits where I know I should be able to give them some of my scheduled minutes to use for the betterment of all, but what a vicious business this has become, no wonder we’re all frustrated, including our doctors.

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