Pediatrician's Notes

HIPAA allows the new doctor to access all the records anyway. Considering they do that all electronically it would probably be strange if you brought in paper records.

Considering you started this with the statement, I disagreed with my son's pediatrician on his recommendation for care, you are non-compliant. If he believed ignoring his recommendations would put your son in danger that is potentially neglect. Why let it bother you..

BK I am HIPAA certified we can release to other doctors without permission but I know little about that process because I am only certified so I can work with in the records in house, in other words I don't go near patients, I am just a data girl. I thought it was odd too but since I don't deal with the transfer of records I didn't feel like asking anything that would make the training last longer. Also we were required to be on the government's amazing network February of this year. So anyone big is electronic now. I can get in EPIC and see pretty much anything any of our patients do but I don't because that is against HIPAA since I have no need for that information.

I can't even click on my own record and that kills me because I would imagine it is laughtacular!! I am the worst patient on earth! I would almost bet the house there is something on there about giving me an extra strength nerve block when I had my ACL surgery just do I would actually stay off my left for two days.

So yeah, doctor logs on he has everything about his patient.

You really only have to have his vaccination records transferred. Your new doctor will need to know if your child is current on his vaccines otherwise there is no way for him/her to know when he is due for the next ones.

As far as the rest of the records, that is up to you.

EDITED: HIPAA does not "allow" the new doctor to access the records, as Julie says. It gives you, the patient, the right to your own records and confidentiality. You have to sign a release form at any doctor's office to ask for records from the previous doctor. Otherwise the new doctor CAN'T access the records. He/she has to have your written permission. Your child's records are your property, not the doctor's. And at our office, we still receive many faxed and paper copied records from other doctors on a regular basis. It's not at all unusual. Electronic transmission of patient records is actually a newer way to get records. Not widely used yet.

Of course. That is really obnoxious, and frankly pretty stupid for him to write "there may be neglect." If there are signs of neglect, he is a mandated reporter, so if there were some investigation by child services and they found that record, proof that he knew and didn't report, he could be in trouble. Sounds unprofessional to me.
Give the new doctor the medical information that they require to properly treat your son, not the speculations of the old doctor.

Those records belong to you. You can give the new doctor as much or as little of them as you wish.

The new pedi may very well just ask you to sign a release so they can get the records themselves. I would not want to give that to a new doc either, but there may be other info in there that the doc would need/want/should have. I am of the mind that if you aren't going to tell your doctor or lawyer the WHOLE truth, there is no point in going.

I would give the doctor the files, including the notes, and explain yourself. That way you can see whether the new doctor agrees with you or the previous doctor. If the new doctor is in complete agreement with the old doctor you may want to keep looking for another doctor who thinks the same way as you.

Does your son have a history of medical issues? IF so your new doctor needs those records. If he has always been perfectly healthy then you should be able to get by with just his vaccinations.

But I would also wonder what it was I was doing that made him suspect neglect.

You have the right to pass along any medical records that you feel are appropriate for the future medical treatment of your child, and to withhold others. I think this is the choice I would make if I were in your situation.

As far as the comment "non-compliant", that could be interrupted in several ways. If the doctor recommends that your child take a laxative, and you disagree and feel it should be treated naturally with a high fiber diet, you would be considered "non-compliant". I wouldn't let it bother you.

Considering the "there may be neglect". You may want to consider speaking with the old pediatrician as to why he put that in his notes. The other thing you may want to do is to discuss it with the new pediatrician.