Inadequate Medical Record Access Cited

More than half the states in the country do not guarantee patients complete access to their own medical records, according to a survey of state laws released Wednesday.

The Public Citizen Health Research Group, a Washington-based consumer advocacy group, charged 33 states and the District of Columbia with failing to ensure that patients can see their doctor, hospital or mental health records.

California is among the 17 states with adequate disclosure laws, according to Public Citizen. The state ranks “right up there with the best of them,” said legal intern Bruce Samuels, one of two authors of the study.

“One of the most important reasons for getting access to your medical records is to get a better understanding of your disease, and to be empowered to ask the kinds of questions you might otherwise not know enough to ask,” said Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, the group’s director.

Complete disclosure is also important, Wolfe said, in case the patient has to go to a new doctor or to a hospital emergency room.