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
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
TSB concludes investigation into cause of London, Ont. freight train fire
More than two weeks after a freight train with several railcars ablaze rolled through the heart of the Forest City, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has concluded its investigation.
'I killed four people': Trial hears video evidence of Jeremy Skibicki at Winnipeg trial
“I killed four people,” alleged serial killer Jeremy Skibicki told two homicide detectives during a recorded interview played as evidence in his trial Wednesday.