A common concern that pops up regularly in my email is about health records, namely, about who actually owns your medical records.
For once, I’m happy so say that the answer is pretty simple: you “own” all the health data that’s been accumulated about you, no matter where that data has been stored or by whom.
In other words, you own the record of your own health history and you own the record of your own pharmaceutical usage, although the people who took the “notes” own the actually physical source in which those notes have been stored.
But if you wish to switch health providers for some reason, the bottom line is straight-forward: you can do so and the owner of your health records must transfer that information to your new provider, something that’s much easier to do than it used to be since the widespread introduction of electronic forms of storing data.
And as always, when in doubt or if you have any questions, speak to your health professional directly about your concerns.
