I am (once again) missing Kaiser. For all their faults, there are some things that Kaiser does really well – like make information from test results and visits available to the patient.
It’s all there.
Got blood work? You not only get the results, you also get your past results and a link to what the test is for and what the results mean.
Now I’m in Michigan.
And I have to have a portal for EVERY FUCKING BODY.
I have my insurance company portal.
I have TWO – yes TWO- portals for my primary physician.
I have a portal for my eye doctors.
And I now have a portal for my hematologist/oncologist.
I think I’m supposed to have a portal for my dentist.
And when I finally get to see a dermatologist, want to bet I’ll get another portal?
Holy crap.
I am hoping to change my primary care provider soon; and yes, that means yet another portal – HOWEVER, I have been told that the portal for this group has the ability to tie into other portals so I may have more of my healthcare info in one place. (Please Jesus.)
And I’m struggling with healthcare professionals who are unable, for unknown reasons, to access my records from Kaiser. I don’t understand this. There is a whole department to handle this; I give the number and email for that department and all they have to do is request the records and voila – it shows up in your email inbox.
This is not rocket science folks. Me and my fat old lady brain did it.
So now I’m spending lots of time wading through my Kaiser records and printing out the pages that I know damn well these doctors can get for themselves.
And then they want to know why my blood pressure is going up.
Thoughts from a Fat Old Lady 
You are falling victim to a number of common ailments. First and formost, getting older makes
EVERYTHING – body, outside world, you name it – not work too well. Second, that great boon
to humankind (NOT!) the internet re; your medical info, well, that’s what people get for turning
the running of their lives over to a bunch of machines. Trust me – the guys who invented this
stuff are laughing like mad at the chaos they’ve caused. Makes you long for the days when you could just pick up the phone, talk to a human & get things done, like moving medical
records around, or when you’d have a test and a couple of days later the doc’s office would
phone you with the results & answer any questions you might have. That said, we ALL have
ugly shit going on and all we can do is keep moving forward — slowly & painfully, but forward
all the same.
And a happy bloody Christmas to you, too!
I actually like being able to look at my medical info online. It lets me take my time, reminds me of anything I may have forgotten, and allows me to consider follow-up questions – without having to try and think of them on the spot. I just don’t like it scattered hither and yon – and (often) not shared with the other people who make up my healthcare “team”. What I find disenheartening is not being able to tell if it’s old age or actually a problem. And, as you know, I HATE waiting to get an answer. But you are right, all we can do is keep moving forward! Merry Merry and Happy Happy to you too.
Same on the medical stuff – all it takes is one doc at Cedars & whatever you have done there
goes into an online file that you can check on whenever you know there’s new info: lab work, etc., with all previous info alongside. Useful, but there are times when you really need that
access to humans, even if all you can do is yell at them for their inefficiency. Makes you feel
SO much better, or at least it does for me.
Hope you get your snow so you can put up your tree & bake cookies & make Christmas.Am
looking forward to my left knee replacement on December 28: my Christmas may be merry
but New Year’s Eve is gonna be on the quiet side!
With Kaiser, I could email the appropriate doctor and got a response within 48 hours (although usually it was much quicker than that). When a doctor was on vacation, there was actually another doctor answering the e-mails and able to see patients! (Unlike what I’m seeing here.) I hope your knee replacement goes smoothly with no complications and that you are soon up and about and enjoying your new knee!
Thanks – sounds like your Kaiser setup was similar to Cedars.
My bone guy has replaced so many joints that I’ve got a fistful of those little replacement part
cards – looks like I’m getting into a poker game. Great doc – nice small hospital (when you lived here it was an abortion mill, just off Olympic & Fairfax) great goody bag at check-in: last
time, they practically drowned me in Oreos & great coffee. There ARE rewards for all this
getting sliced & diced. Last one (back in February) had a LOOOOONG rehab – 6 months of
pt & it still hurts, so we’ll hope for the best.
Thanks for the good thought & DO have a wonderful Christmas.