Reckless Medical Records

I had an absolutely appalling experience today while trying to get my daughters shot records transferred from her doctor's office in NY to the base medical facility in California, and it really gets under my skin that something so important can be treated with such little regard.

This morning I woke up to get Madison ready for her appointment (her first since we've been back in California) and I noticed that her NY doctors never updated the shot record I gave them.  No big deal, I figure.  I gave them a call, gave them the fax number and they said they'd fax the records right away.  Once we got into the office, filled out the development survey, got her vitals checked, and answered the doctor's questions about how she's doing... he listed six or seven shots that she needed.  He explained to me that she is behind because she never got her one year shots.  Now, for any of you who have babies who get shots it is a traumatizing experience (more so for the parent, I think) and I would NOT forget an appointment at which she had gotten shots. I knew she had had hers at one year in the beginning of March, yet the records that were faxed took no note of them.  I immediately called the records department of her NY doctor, and they said they didn't know what had happened but that her shots were listed right there on her records. It took a good 20 minutes to get it all settled and figure out which shots she needed, but it was worth not having to see her go through any more pain than necessary... not to mention the useless and potentially dangerous over vaccinating!  I know that it probably wouldn't be cause for major concern is she did get a few extra vaccinations, but I'm glad I called to double check.

Not only were her shot records wrongly documented in the first set of records... but her medical records also state that she has had the chicken pox.  Now, of course this is something that should be put on her medical records if she had had the chicken pox, which she did not!  Her current doctor and nurse asked me over and over again if I was sure she had not had the chicken pox... wouldn't you remember something like that?!  The NY doctor's office in question has all these nifty little computer pads that they walk around with documenting all your symptoms, shots, and medications... so you'd think that they'd have accurate information.  It just makes me think that if I had two mistakes happen just trying to transfer medical records for a ONE year old, how many mistakes go unnoticed? How many people's medical records reflect false information!? All's well that ends well I suppose, but it has really made me take a note to check twice when it comes to medical information.  There's no reason to give extra shots or wrong medication simply because someone in the records office slipped up and missed something.  Word to the wise, check, re-check and check again! And document things yourself so that if something is missing, you know to look into it! It wouldn't have been the end of the world for her to get a few extra shots, but it certainly wasn't necessary.