Paper medical records are pretty much a thing of the past thanks to Electronic Medical Records (EMR.) Twelve years ago the federal government paid substantial amounts to hospitals and doctors to transition to EMR. The leading company in the EMR space is Epic… if you have a MyChart account you can thank Epic.
There is a very helpful feature in the MyChart account many people may not be aware of called “Share My Record.” In the menu dropdown is a “Sharing” link. This feature is very helpful for those taking care of an elderly parent as one example. Having the ability to share medical records on a one-time basis with a doctor that doesn’t have access to MyChart is also very helpful.
For those medical providers that are not on the Epic platform, the “Share Everywhere” link allows the patient to share their medical records with providers instantly. Being able to share recent blood work with a new provider will help eleiminate the expense of duplicate tests being ordered.