Halifax woman says copies of family medical records will cost hundreds
A Halifax woman is outraged after learning she would have to pay hundreds of dollars to access copies of her family’s medical records.
Cornelia Schneider recently received a letter that her doctor is closing their practice and leaving the Maritimes. If being without a family doctor isn’t difficult enough, she now has to pay a fee to access her medical records.
“That same letter also stated that our medical records would go into storage with some company,” Schneider tells CTV Atlantic.
The company, Docudavit Solutions, is used by doctors to store patient records, a common practice to ensure medical information is kept secure.
Schneider says the cost, $95 for adults and $65 for children, is simply too much.
According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, doctors are strongly encouraged to securely retain original records for ten years.
That’s where companies like Docudavit come in. They provide copies to people that want their medical records for a fee.
“It’s not a part of the health insurance so there’s fee schedules across the country,” said Sid Soil of Docuvait. “Depending on what province you’re in, they vary, and we conform to the fee schedule in each province.”
Soil says the fee structure can vary depending on a patient’s ability to pay.
“We’ll make arrangements for a fee that you can afford and make arrangements to provide your medical records at no cost,” said Soil.
As for Schneider, she is still hoping to find a new doctor.
“Call Nova Scotia Health to get on that waitlist, and add another four people to that waitlist and hope for the best,” she said.
That waitlist is one more reason Schneider wants access to her medical records.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
7 surveillance videos linked to extortions of South Asian home builders in Edmonton released
The Edmonton Police Service has released a number of surveillance videos related to a series of extortion cases in the city now dubbed 'Project Gaslight.'
Ukraine uses long-range missiles secretly provided by U.S. to hit Russian-held areas, officials say
Ukraine for the first time has begun using long-range ballistic missiles provided secretly by the United States, bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area overnight, American officials said Wednesday.
Pilot reported fire onboard plane carrying fuel, attempted to return to Fairbanks just before crash
One of the two pilots aboard an airplane carrying fuel reported there was a fire on the airplane shortly before it crashed and burned outside Fairbanks, killing both people on board, a federal aviation official said Wednesday.
BREAKING Manitoba government tables bill to end ban on homegrown recreational cannabis
Manitoba is planning to lift its ban on the home growing of recreational cannabis.
All Alberta wildfires to date in 2024 believed to be human-caused: province
There are 63 wildfires burning in Alberta's forest protection area as of Wednesday morning and seven mutual aid fires, including one in the Municipal District of Peace.