Your voice: Give patients control of medical records

Give patients control of medical records

I read the March 10, 2019 cover article on Sharing Patient Data with great interest.  

As a practicing family physician with a well-functioning EHR I do not need and do not want access through a HIE to monster databases. What I and every primary care physician wants is simple. We need point of service access to the data that is clinically relevant for the patient in front of us, now, today. 

There is a way to do that that by now should be obvious:  put the records in the hands of the patient, and let that patient give access to their doctors!

Paul Buehrens, MD
Kirkland, Wash. 

Thanks for the direct primary care articles

Kudos to Rob Lamberts, MD, for explaining direct primary care.

This is truly a revolutionary movement removing insurance companies, government, and hospitals from the doctor patient relationship.

Not only will it lower costs and increase both doctor and patient satisfaction, but it will stimulate more idealistic medical students to desire to enter primary care.

George B. Elvove, MD

Solo physicians show their bravery

Melissa Young, MD, FACE, FACP in “Back to solo practice” (The Last Word, March 10) tells us the challenges she faces after her partner left their endocrinology practice.

I admire her courage to stay the course as a solo practitioner.

Going from seeing 8-12 patients a day to 24-28 patients a day represents a huge change. At the end of the day she must be exhausted from the emotional and physical strains. It would be interesting to know whether her partner simply retired or left to join a large group or a hospital network.

These days it is almost impossible to be a solo practitioner in most specialties and many physicians are leaving private practice to join large groups or hospital networks.

The days of the solo practitioner are coming to an end.

Edward Volpintesta, MD
Bethel, Conn.