Kansas Attorneys Discuss Dangerous Errors That Could Be On Your Medical Record

Are you aware of the information documented on your medical records? If not, now is the time to find out. Not only is viewing your record beneficial for monitoring your health, but some of the information contained also may not be as accurate as you think.

According to the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology, only 52 percent of people were offered online access to their medical records through a health provider or insurer in 2017. Roughly 28 percent of those offered access viewed their medical record within the past year. Around one in ten people who accessed their records requested corrections.

Don’t wait to correct dangerous errors

Some errors may cause nothing more than minor inconveniences or billing issues – most of which can be easily corrected. Other errors can have a serious impact on overall health. Errors that can be dangerous to your health include:

• Incorrect description of symptoms
• Inaccurate lab results
• Inaccurate scans
• Transcription errors
• Omitted medical conditions
• Incorrect emergency contact information
• Inaccurate family history
• Medication and prescription errors

These errors can be hazardous to your health for the following reasons:

• Doctors or surgeons may perform the wrong procedures
• You may be misdiagnosed
• You may be prescribed the wrong medication or directed to take the wrong dosage of a medication

You can protect yourself and your family by taking action to correct inaccurate information on your record. Your first course of action, according to Very Well Health, should be to request a correction form from the hospital or your healthcare provider.

You must then write out your correction request clearly and concisely, with no details left out. Explain why the correction needs to be made and what it should read exactly. When submitting your correction request, it helps to include a copy of your medical record with the inaccurate information marked.

Once your request has been submitted, the hospital or healthcare provider will have 60 days to respond. However, a 30-day extension may be submitted to you in writing. Please be aware that the hospital or provider is not required to change any information that is valid. If you believe the information is inaccurate and your request is denied, you may amend the decision in writing or file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or the Kansas Board of Healing Arts.

Any of these errors resulting from inaccurate information on your record could result in a medical malpractice lawsuit.

What to do if a medical report error resulted in malpractice?

If inaccurate information on your medical record resulted in an error that compromised your health, you may be eligible for a medical malpractice lawsuit. While the hospital may attempt to cover up any mistakes on their part, an experienced Kansas attorney can get to the bottom of it.

The attorneys at Warner Law Offices have more than 25 years of experience helping medical malpractice victims in Wichita and through the state of Kansas, and our case results speak for themselves. Contact us today to take action.