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What are they hiding
Hi
Does anyone have an opinion why doctors don't want to give patients a copy of an interrogation? I live in New York (nassau county) and having a difficult time getting a copy of my interrogation. I'm told it is fine and why do I want a copy. I always feel I am not getting the full explanation. Aren't they like blood test results? Would your doctor tell you they are fine and not give you your numbers for cholesterol or A1c? Any suggestions on how to get all the information from these interrogations?
15 Comments
Some very interesting points of view
by Tattoo Man - 2015-01-06 02:01:34
....................this has come up as a touchy topic many times before..
For myself,..I also asked for a printout once...largely because of the views as expressed, here, by Sparrow .
So..I got 'That Look' from my smashing Tecchie--Lawrence.
'That Look' was, now with hindsight,..exactly what IAN MC has alluded to. I took the strip of paper home and essentially wasted some time trying to work out what the xxxx it all meant. I was NONE the wiser...
My stance is :
Trust the professionals
Ask what they think has been going on
How much battery life is left. ??
I think that over here in the UK we do have a different relationship with our Cardiac Specialists...I am on first name terms with TWO Professors of Cardiology and lots of Surgeons...all have one thing in common...
They want Fit Healthy Happy patients and will answer any question that will make sure of a good outcome...their personal gain is , in my experience NEVER the issue.
I actually look forward to my interrogations ..the staff at Grantham Hospitals Medical Physics department even make guesses as to whether I will be on time or not !!
Best wishes to all...there is no simple answer to this topic...just..get what you want from people you trust.
Tattoo Man...Happy New Year to you all !!!!
I usually ask for mine
by SaraTB - 2015-01-06 02:01:59
I'm across the Sound from you on Long Island, in CT. I've never had an issue with my EP about getting the report. Like Ian, I've learned to understand some of it! One of the reasons I like to get a copy is so that I have it when travelling (I go home to the UK for an extended visit each summer) and if anything happens, I want to have the settings available. At least, that's what I always tell the EP - maybe you should tell them you want it for travelling?
Sometimes I just ask for the settings, sometimes for the whole report. If programming changes have been made, I ask for the whole thing. No-one ever minds doing it.
(Ian, I know what you mean: when my ablation damaged my AV node, resulting in the need for the PM, people kept asking me if I was going to sue the doctor. Er, no. What good would it do? Wouldn't give me my AV node back.)
Why do you want it ? Would you understand it ?
by IAN MC - 2015-01-06 04:01:38
As it happens I always get an interrogation report because I have fooled my PM guru into thinking that I understand it
BUT having said all that :-
i) I don't understand most of it at all
II) I never look at it anyway
iii) they have a copy on file should I need see it
In future I'm not going to bother asking for a copy. I doubt that you having a copy would alter your life in any way whatsoever. If you feel fine , you don't need the report. If you don't feel fine they may or may not have the expertise to make you feel better and you still don't need the report.
Cheers
Ian
VA
by windowguy28 - 2015-01-06 06:01:28
I always receive copies of mine. The va is very precise and helpful in letting me have all my reports.
Always get your report
by Theknotguy - 2015-01-06 09:01:33
Always get your report! In quite a few States in the US it is the law that you can get your report. If necessary, you can go online and check, check with your Attorney General, talk to an attorney. They can give you the specifics. Then you can call your doctor's office, quote the law, and (hopefully) they'll give you the report without any problems. If not, stand your ground until you get it. Then consider switching doctors. If necessary, threaten to sue, then get your attorney to call. Let them know you mean business.
I can't read everything on my report, but, I'm learning to read more of it. I've gleaned information from my report my doctor doesn't have time to give me during the 15 minute session I get with him. After my fifth report, I can read it enough I can ask my doctor specific questions when he gets into the room. We don't spend time in idle chit-chat, but instead, concentrate on specific issues. All because I've taken time to learn how to read my PM report.
As to why some doctors don't want you to have your report, there can be a variety of reasons. Some good - you read something on your report, go into a panic mode - it really doesn't mean that much. Some bad - the doctor or staff is incompetent, doesn't want you to know.
My previous PM was very secretive. I ended up in the hospital seven times because of his incompetence. He got fired from the doctor's group in which he was employed. I'm glad to be rid of him.
Current doctor is all for transparency. We have a great relationship and I feel really good in spite of the heart problems. Needless to say, I'm for transparency.
In any case, stand for your rights, get a copy of your report, start to learn how to read it. Take an active role in your health care.
Theknotguy
by IAN MC - 2015-01-06 10:01:06
"Talk to an attorney" " Threaten to sue " etc etc
I honestly think that we in the UK live on a different planet
to Planet USA . Litigation does not even feature in our every day thinking
Could it be that you have it all wrong ? Could it be that you are all too ready to leap into litigation mode ?
I have always found that in any interface with the medical profession , if you show a real interest in your illness and are appreciative that the medics are doing the best they can for you (within their limitations) then they will give you ANYTHING you ask for if it is a sensible request
Does it all not come down to interpersonal skills and a non-confrontational approach.
I repeat that interrogation reports are very difficult to understand ( and I have a Science degree ) . At best you need know 2 or 3 of the settings and you should be able to remember them without having a copy of the report !
Which is most important :-
I want it.. because I have the right to have it ?
or I want it because I will derive benefit from having it ?
Ian
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getting a copy of your report
by bluebowtye - 2015-01-06 10:01:13
At my clinic in Iowa, I had to contact the Medical Records Release Dept. They had me fill out and sign a consent form. It is kept on file for one year. Since they don't know when I do my remote transmissions I just have to call them and they will mail me my report, no questions asked.
While I do not understand a lot of it, I do like to know the basics like how much remaining battery life I have, pacing %, etc. which my "quick look" report shows. I feel it's my health and my body and I want to know what's going on with it. It gives me peace of mind.
~Sheila
Knowing what to ask for
by PeteFindlay - 2015-01-06 12:01:29
At my last check (6 month check) I asked for a copy of the report. The guy seemed a little surprised, suggesting some sort of conspiracy, as I was the second person that day to ask! He also said I probably wouldn't understand it, but gave me it anyway without any issues.
I should've studied it before leaving, as it contains only info on some of the settings and battery life, and no useful information such as % pacing, heart rates recorded, mode switches etc. Reading the Clinician's Manual for my PM (god bless the internet!), I note that there are numerous reports I could ask for with different information.
I shall have to take a list next time - or just ask them to leave me alone with the terminal for 20 mins!
(In the UK by the way)
print out or full records?
by SaraTB - 2015-01-07 01:01:16
I think some of us are thinking about different kinds of records: when my nurse practitioner is printing out a hard copy of the interrogation report for my/their file, it's no hardship for her to print a second copy for me: no extra time needed.
This is hardly the complex and time consuming procedure some are implying, which makes me think they aren't asking there and then, but are making a formal request for their entire file to be copied, which is of course more complex, taking up time of an admin etc.
And then there's the record of the telephone check, which the original poster referred to in an earlier post: I've never seen those, and have no idea if any of us do (I don't bother with this check anymore anyway, as you know).
I don't think anyone's hiding anything. But we do need to be clear what we're asking for, and letting our doctors know that we're interested in our health and although we won't understand much of it, it helps us learn about our settings - if we want to.
Next time round ?
by IAN MC - 2015-01-07 03:01:52
After I've departed earth and gone to the great Pacemaker Club in the sky I'm not sure which will be the best occupation on my return visit :-
- a member of the UK royal family , or
- an attorney in the US
I want to be as rich as possible so it's a tough call !
Ian
Try asking again
by Grateful Heart - 2015-01-10 10:01:07
Just explain you are trying to learn more about your PM and condition. I also live in NY, but a little upstate. My NP gives me a full copy of the report now without my having to ask for it.
If that doesn't work, try speaking to your Doc about it.
Grateful Heart
mr
by eprn - 2015-01-13 10:01:36
i am a device nuse- if anyone asks me, I give them a copy. It is very technical and difficult to understand but what the hey? Who cares?
I don't get it
by mtaylor - 2015-01-30 02:01:40
Last time I was in, they accidentally printed two, so I got one. And I didn't understand it at all.
They (should) already be explaining things to you, I don't see a need for a paper thing I can't read.
Understanding the report
by Katelyn - 2015-05-17 08:05:06
I downloaded the PDF manual to my Medtronic device off the internet and read 80% of it, also read a icd pm book, I now can understand most of the print outs.
I don't think we can always trust the professionals. I have caught too many mistakes and offered suggestions for setting changes that they have agreed with and did only because I asked.
You know you're wired when...
You have a shocking personality.
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by wjs1954 - 2015-01-06 01:01:23
My cardiologist puts all info on the patient portal.
The good thing i feel even if i do not understand ALOT, while looking at one after a visit a couple months ago notice the PM Rep had mistakenly set me at 40 BPM 24-7, which was/is to slow. had 2 adjustments after that it is a work in progress.. My cardiologist is looking into referring me to a EP, other than the one that put in the pacemaker.. I had a couple issue with the office, never going back there..