Thanks to Keith Smith, Michael Butash, and AZ Pete for your responses.

Keith asked, in part:
> What is our Primary Care Physician doing?
> Do you really want a central repository of your medical records
> for the Gov to poke into?

As AZ Pete pointed out, The gov't already has almost all the info
so ... my point, like Pete's is ... it's about time individuals
should have access to their own records.

> What is the benefit?

There would be tremendous benefits!  Here are just a thoughts:

First ... Thank God, I have been remarkably health all of my life
and have but very rarely needed to see a doctor for anything. 
Hoever, the inescapable hard reality is that each and every one of
us is going to need medical treatment for something if not multiple
things at some point(s) in our lives as we age.

So, why should one have to fill out the same medical history
information (99% of which is probably irrelevant) every time one
sees a new or different doctor or specialist?

Personally, I really could not care less what anyone else sees about
my medical history or current conditions (though I certainly agree
that some security to protect such information rather than posting
it all on facebook would obviously be prudent).

Recently, I changed doctors, and after my new doctor sent a fax to
my previous doctor with my signature "releasing" the records, long
delays, and no response, I finally had to drive to the previous
doctor's office to talk the former doctor into releasing *my*
records to me and pay for copies to be made.  Ridiculous.

Then I had to go to three different specialists, including primary
care, opthamologist, and neurologist, and fill out all the same
medical history information for the first visit at each place and
take copies of certain records from one place to another. All of
this a huge and needless nuisance that having a "PHR" resource would
have avoided.

Moreeover, all the recent information lacks important background
information.

I want any and all doctors, dentists, chiropractors, and any other
health-care professionals (as well as my wife and other family
members) to have easy and fast access to any of my medical records.

Also, when traveling to another state or country, if I should need
any kind of treatment, I want that same kind of easy and fast
access.

There are dozens of other benefits (i.e. having universally
available accurate information on any past or current medications,
side-effect reactions, current med interaction risks, allergy info,
vaccination records, family history, previous conditions info, and
continually updated, up-to-the-minute treatment reports, etc.)

The real question is not, "What are the benefits" but rather, "Why
not have any and all applicable information uniformly available
instantly, on-line, to any and all health-care professionals one
might use anywhere one might move or travel?



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