Transferring medical records: improving the exchange.

The transfer of medical records is a task all physicians must deal with constantly in daily practice. How often do physicians request medical information from their new patient’s former physician and receive a pile of illegible, poorly organized progress notes along with copies of hospital, emergency, or laboratory records that they do not need? The answer to this question is often. Further, because of College of Physicians and Surgeons’ standards, requesting physicians must now review and store all of this information. Do physicians and their staff request or process requests for transfer of medical records effectively and efficiently? No. Why? Most physicians have not taken the time to evaluate the content and preferred format of the information they need from former physicians. To address whether a record has been transferred effectively, we have to evaluate the objectives of the initial request. What exactly have requesting physicians asked for? Have they specified the content and format of information they require to assist them in ongoing care and evaluation of a patient? Who will receive and process this request? What method of preparation and transfer will they use? Does the time and cost required to review and prepare the record transfer, by both physicians and their staff, influence the quality of this process?