Mission
Compare these two sentences:
"The patient is not having chest pain"
"The patient is now having chest pain"
A difference in one letter could suggest whether or not the patient is having a heart attack. In this case, its a typing or transcription error, but as a physician I see all kinds of mistakes in health records. Most patients assume that their medical records are accurate, but they're not. In some cases the mistakes are obvious, like a CT scan of a female pelvis that includes "normal prostate", but I worry about the mistakes that I don't know about - and never will.
How many errors are in our records? We don't know. Patient privacy laws (HIPAA) make it impossible to review the healthcare industry the way we ensure flight safety. Only the patient and treating clinicians can look at the chart. This is why errors and mistakes are so pervasive.
I designed the Health Timeline app for you to keep track of your own health information. It's easy to get started, and it includes powerful features like categorizing for search, secure sharing, and inviting followers to help you keep track of your health. In many cases the patient is too old or too sick to manage their data, and it's their adult children who are doing the work. Instead of texting and emailing health information, store it in the health timeline so you can find it when you need it. Don't depend on your doctors. The only way to keep an accurate record of your health is to do it yourself. Start now.
-Gaurav Mathur MD
"The patient is not having chest pain"
"The patient is now having chest pain"
A difference in one letter could suggest whether or not the patient is having a heart attack. In this case, its a typing or transcription error, but as a physician I see all kinds of mistakes in health records. Most patients assume that their medical records are accurate, but they're not. In some cases the mistakes are obvious, like a CT scan of a female pelvis that includes "normal prostate", but I worry about the mistakes that I don't know about - and never will.
How many errors are in our records? We don't know. Patient privacy laws (HIPAA) make it impossible to review the healthcare industry the way we ensure flight safety. Only the patient and treating clinicians can look at the chart. This is why errors and mistakes are so pervasive.
I designed the Health Timeline app for you to keep track of your own health information. It's easy to get started, and it includes powerful features like categorizing for search, secure sharing, and inviting followers to help you keep track of your health. In many cases the patient is too old or too sick to manage their data, and it's their adult children who are doing the work. Instead of texting and emailing health information, store it in the health timeline so you can find it when you need it. Don't depend on your doctors. The only way to keep an accurate record of your health is to do it yourself. Start now.
-Gaurav Mathur MD