Of course I know I am expecting too much. But if the idea reaches a few people who check out their own records or consult a service like yours to do it on their behalf, a blog will have been worth it.

It seems you are in a far more powerful position than myself to open the avenue of records integrity to the MD’s still in med school. One med school at a time you could change the world and my clients will be better for your effots.

Missed abnormals, another patient’s results, subtle, unnoticed trends, blatant oversights, and on and on.

Problem is, even if every patient was handed their chart they couldn’t understand it.

There are companies that will copy, organize, and send you your chart, but, you’re still left with interpreting what it all means.

I started Like a Doctor in the Family, L.L.C, a fee-based, personalized, medical record review service. We are an educational and informational service company. We do not diagnose, treat, or give second opinions.

We do take the ‘medical record solution’ one step further by categorizing and summarizing the essentials in lay terms (educating) and performing a basic data-mining function showing possible errors, discrepancies, trends, and oversights (clarifying). All is summmarized in a ‘Questions for Your Doctor’ format (giving direction).

I own likeadoctorinthefamily.com and whatsinyourchart.com which will become portals for expanding this process.

When you say, in your May 27, 2007 blog ‘everyone should review their medical records…’, I think you expect too much from the patient. The Institute of Medicine, in their 2004 Health Literacy Report found 50% of, or 90 million U.S. adults are health illiterate and cant’ understand what their doctors are saying or read their medicine bottles. This crosses all educational, social, and economic levels.

What do you think?

Louis Siegel, M.D., President
Like a Doctor in the Family, L.L.C.
lsiegel123@tampabay.rr.com