Quest for more Medical Records

In a recent post I believe I mentioned wanting to hunt down my remaining medical records, should they still exist. I've had mixed luck. The records from my hernia procedure at age two have already been destroyed. It took place in upstate New York, and New York state law only requires that records for a minor be kept until after the patient reaches the age of 18.

Still working on the records from my gynecologist when I was a teen. Although I have the hospital records which explicitly show that she and the surgeon lied to me, I only just a week ago requested the records from the gynecologist. I am nervous that they will be hidden or destroyed, as I hear is sometimes the case when patients with DSD (disorders of sex development) request them. I grew up in Nebraska, and according to Nebraska state law, the records must have been kept at least ten years, but in practice are often kept longer. Let's hope it's the latter. The last I checked, they had not been faxed yet to my new doctor's office.

Georgetown University has a useful reference on medical records, laws by state, and your rights under HIPAA. Have a look at http://hpi.georgetown.edu/privacy/records.html