Charges to obtain my own medical records

I called my sleep doc just now to get copies of my sleep study results. I was told it would cost me two dollars for the first 20 pages and then 20 cents a page after that. OK fine. I know this is a massive report, times are bad, paper costs money. I guess 2 dollars isn't that big a price to pay. 2 questions. 1 Have any of you here been charged to obtain copies of your medical records and 2, in those first 20 pages will I have the info I need to be armed enough to manage my future care and needs? In other words, in those 20 pages will I be able to read my AHI, whether or not I had any CSA episodes, my OSL, and really any of the other apnea associated details discussed here?
I know I can get future info from a data capable machine which I am currently in a back and forth with between the DME and the ins. co. and myself. Whether I get a data capable machine or not I still want those records and it would be nice to have them to make comparisons when I do get a data capable unit.
Please be patient. I'm a newbie and still learning the ins and outs of apnea definitions

maggie22561 wrote:I called my sleep doc just now to get copies of my sleep study results. I was told it would cost me two dollars for the first 20 pages and then 20 cents a page after that. OK fine. I know this is a massive report, times are bad, paper costs money. I guess 2 dollars isn't that big a price to pay. 2 questions. 1 Have any of you here been charged to obtain copies of your medical records and 2, in those first 20 pages will I have the info I need to be armed enough to manage my future care and needs? In other words, in those 20 pages will I be able to read my AHI, whether or not I had any CSA episodes, my OSL, and really any of the other apnea associated details discussed here?
I know I can get future info from a data capable machine which I am currently in a back and forth with between the DME and the ins. co. and myself. Whether I get a data capable machine or not I still want those records and it would be nice to have them to make comparisons when I do get a data capable unit.
Please be patient. I'm a newbie and still learning the ins and outs of apnea definitions

There should only be about eight pages in the report. How do you know it's that "massive"?

For all intents and purposes, MOST sleep doctors/clinics DON'T charge for that report. It's YOUR information and presumably your insurance has already paid for it. Why should you have to pay for a copy of it?


Den

My family doc's office always charges $1 per page. I was pleasantly surprised when my sleep doc's office just gave me copies!

Den,
The night of my sleep study and also the day I saw my sleep doc for the results of the study they said they collected like 1000 pages of data during the study. I know I don't need all of that and perhaps all of that isn't available to me, but it must be pretty large to charge 2.00 dollars for the first 20 pages and 20 cents for every page thereafter.

So again, do you or anyone else here know if the info I need will be in those first 20 pages.

And you're right, I shouldn't have to pay anything for my own records, but I can only manage one fight at a time and right now, getting a data capable machine is more important than paying two dollars for a report.

Wulfman wrote:There should only be about eight pages in the report. How do you know it's that "massive"?

For all intents and purposes, MOST sleep doctors/clinics DON'T charge for that report. It's YOUR information and presumably your insurance has already paid for it. Why should you have to pay for a copy of it?


Den

I wonder if they double spaced them? Prob used 1.5 in margins too.

In my area, some doc charge and some don't. There's no rhyme or reason.
Shar:)

I wonder if they would be allowed to email you a copy?

maggie22561 wrote:Den,
The night of my sleep study and also the day I saw my sleep doc for the results of the study they said they collected like 1000 pages of data during the study. I know I don't need all of that and perhaps all of that isn't available to me, but it must be pretty large to charge 2.00 dollars for the first 20 pages and 20 cents for every page thereafter.

So again, do you or anyone else here know if the info I need will be in those first 20 pages.

And you're right, I shouldn't have to pay anything for my own records, but I can only manage one fight at a time and right now, getting a data capable machine is more important than paying two dollars for a report.

Right......but most of it will be pages of squiggly lines from the different leads that were attached to you. There are probably only a couple of people on this forum (those who actually run sleep labs and can interpret that stuff) who could make sense of all those squiggly lines.
All you need are the summary pages.....which should only number about eight.


Den

I always think it's annoying to have to pay for my copies of my info, but there are many doctors who charge a nominal fee for that. Presumably this covers the cost of the paper/toner/employee who runs the copier/whatever. I think it's worth it to get the papers in your hand.

What you want is the full SCORED data SUMMARY report which runs from 5 to 8 pages. They've misunderstood just what it is you want. Very few patients have the savvy to ask for these reports so the sleep lab office staff often don't have a clue what you are asking for except as Den described, the pages and pages of squiggly lines. IF you wanted that it would be cheaper to pay them $10 for a DVD of the entire study. And it is best to get a copy of the full SCORED data SUMMARY report from EACH in-lab sleep study you had - sleep evaluation and PAP titration. You will also want a copy of the doctor's dictated results - from both studies.

Slinky wrote:What you want is the full SCORED data SUMMARY report which runs from 5 to 8 pages. They've misunderstood just what it is you want. Very few patients have the savvy to ask for these reports so the sleep lab office staff often don't have a clue what you are asking for except as Den described, the pages and pages of squiggly lines. IF you wanted that it would be cheaper to pay them $10 for a DVD of the entire study. And it is best to get a copy of the full SCORED data SUMMARY report from EACH in-lab sleep study you had - sleep evaluation and PAP titration. You will also want a copy of the doctor's dictated results - from both studies.

My PAP titration and study were all done the same night. After watching me for 3 hrs the tech decided she'd seen enough and put me on a machine then adjusted the pressure until I quit having events. Before going to bed that night she had told me that would happen if deemed necessary and let me try several different masks for comfort.
You're right I didn't have the savvy to know just what to ask for, but that's the great thing about this site. Thank you, all of you for your replies.

I was supplied a copy of the Pulmonologist report which consisted of 1 page which summarized the studies and supplied me and my ENT and RT all that was needed as to what happened and his recommendations. I could not have even thought of anything else i needed to see.

The sleep study report will only give you the info for that one night of sleep. It will probably give you an AHI and you will see events, etc but as for managing your sleep apnea from here, it really won't be a lot of help. That is only one night and a very different one than in your own bed over a period of time. It's just a beginning point.

You will need a data capable machine and software so that you can monitor days and weeks of therapy to see how it is going and only with that can you make appropriate adjustments to your therapy as you proceed.

I don't know if your machine shows anything but compliance ( how long and how often you use it) so even the doctor or the DME will not know what events you are having over time or even your AHI.

Hawthorne wrote:
You will need a data capable machine and software so that you can monitor days and weeks of therapy to see how it is going and only with that can you make appropriate adjustments to your therapy as you proceed.

I don't know if your machine shows anything but compliance ( how long and how often you use it) so even the doctor or the DME will not know what events you are having over time or even your AHI.

I am working on trying to get a data capable machine right now. My current CPAP shows compliance data only.
It is my thinking that when ( NOT if) I get a data capable machine it would be nice to have the study results for comparison. Plus, I am a believer in having possession of any test results that are done by any of my doctors.

You are wise to do that. That information is valuable and important to have. It is however, just the beginning.

I hope you can get a fully data capable machine and the software soon.

Some here on the forum have been aboe to exchange their basic machine for a fully data capable machine if they try within the first 30 days after receiving it.

Maybe you can do that or do you mean that you are in the process of trying to do that?