securing distributed partial medical records?

[Pete Mitchell]

Wendy M. Grossman wrote  on 28-07-09 14:54:
> I would *love* a system where I was automatically given copies of 
> everything. I might be good or bad at taking care of my own records, but 
> I'd have had a better shot at keeping them in existence than any of the 
> people who were supposedly in charge of doing that.
> 
> Does it matter? Well, it would be nice to know if my memory of being 
> vaccinated against measles and never had mumps is correct, what 
> treatments I was given for allergies, etc.
> 

It could even be important. 

An acquaintance of mine died a couple of years ago leaving a 50k life assurance policy in favour of her severely disabled (and dependent) brother. After her death, the lifeco obtained all her records from her GP and discovered a consultation some years before that she had not declared on her proposal form. Probably she had forgotten about it - it was for a temporary episode of insomnia IIRC. 

The insurer - Prudential - voided the policy. Good news for their directors, who probably added the 50k to their bonuses. And the disabled brother? He had it coming. 

-- 
Pete Mitchell