Trudy, maybe if the new doctor contacts the old doctor directly and requests your records, old doctor will transfer them w/o involving you or your $. Worth a shot.

When I switched OB-gyns, Trudy, they had a set $35 charge to transfer all my records. Do they have electronic records? If so, there shouldn't be that big of a charge.

New doc's office said to contact the old doc's office.

I'm assuming they don't have electronic records or they wouldn't have me faxing in a request for photocopies. Yes, you heard me, faxing a request for photocopies. (This confuses me somewhat because that's not even a real signature they'd have on file on that release.)

Right now I'm inclined to ask the new doc at my appointment what all I should get for her -- its not like medical history is going to change my pap smear. (For a while there was a more and less extensive version, but I think everyone uses the more now. THAT I can ask her.)

I can look at your CV, Shir, if you still need someone.

This is more Natterish, but I though Shir would be interested.

Since 1923, Maxwell House coffee has been using Joseph Jacobs Advertising in New York as its agency to reach the Jewish consumer market. Maxwell House is believed to be the first mainstream product to have aimed pitches at Jewish shoppers.... >[link]

They began publishing a Haggadah in 1932, which was given away with coffee purchases. This year's is significantly modernized:

For instance, God is a “Monarch” rather than a “King,” and the tale about the “four sons” now refers to “four different sorts of children.”

---

[link] is a list of allowable charges for copying medical records by state. I'm going to guess that $0.75 per page is not outside the realm of "reasonable charges" but it is never wrong to double check. Also, I believe that if one truly cannot afford it, one can give a written statement to that effect and still get the copies. But yeah, waiting to find out precisely what the new doc wants most is probably your best cost-saving measure.

I would get all of the records, make a copy for your new doctor (maybe on the machine at work) and save a copy for yourself. If something happens, it's such a pain in the ass to get records that you might as well while you have the chance.

For instance, God is a “Monarch” rather than a “King,” and the tale about the “four sons” now refers to “four different sorts of children.”

Oh for Monarch's sake. (And did anyone else go to a Venture Brothers place? Now that would be a Seder...)

I would get all of the records, make a copy for your new doctor (maybe on the machine at work) and save a copy for yourself. If something happens, it's such a pain in the ass to get records that you might as well while you have the chance.

That is very much my inclination too, but he was my doctor for over a decade -- I don't know if that amounts to 50 bucks or 500 bucks. And the form they gave me is "give us your credit card number and come pick them up" so I wouldn't really know until the damage was done it seems.

I've copied thousands of files in my day, it is onerous to be sure. Maybe not 75 cents a page irritating, but its a pain. However, going through the files, removing pages, flagging where you removed, copying those pages, and replacing them correctly is an enormous pain in the ass if its only a folder or two. Just pull it off the hooks, throw it on the feeder and hit COPY for heaven's sake.

I was baffled by "four different sorts of children," which seems to imply that we have more sorts than sons and daughters.

Thanks, Ginger! I'll send it later on (right now on a university's computer).

And I knew that story about Maxwell's Haggadah - I learned it from Natter, about two or three years ago!

(Sadly and shockingly, I believe our Haggadahs are sponsored by banks and Israelis HMO. My God, this place is really stuck in the 50's.)