Why would a private doc not want to send X-rays to dental school doc?

[swindoll]

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So, here's a short story: I'm seeing an orthodontist (let's call him Dr. A) at a dental school faculty practice. Recently, I went to see Dr. B, a different orthodontist, for a second opinion on my case, and during that appointment a panoramic X-ray was taken.
Today I went to see Dr. A for a regular appointment/check-up, and he suggested me taking a new panoramic X-ray. Since I just had one taken at Dr. B's office, I figured I should just call and ask them to email it to the dental school.

When I called Dr. B, they said that they would rather not send any record to the dental school because sometime those records "end up where they are not supposed to be and get misused". They were very vague in their explanation.

I'm curious, why do they not want to send X-rays to the dental school faculty member but are ok with sending them to a private doc?

 

[ncide]

You are entitled to a copy of your dental records if you pay a fee for the labor that goes into replicating your records.

I work with an orthodontist. Sometimes we've got people who move and they request their records so I go and duplicate their x-rays (and other records) for patients to have. Doesn't matter though what your reasons are.

 

[Sublimazing]

So, here's a short story: I'm seeing an orthodontist (let's call him Dr. A) at a dental school faculty practice. Recently, I went to see Dr. B, a different orthodontist, for a second opinion on my case, and during that appointment a panoramic X-ray was taken.
Today I went to see Dr. A for a regular appointment/check-up, and he suggested me taking a new panoramic X-ray. Since I just had one taken at Dr. B's office, I figured I should just call and ask them to email it to the dental school.

When I called Dr. B, they said that they would rather not send any record to the dental school because sometime those records "end up where they are not supposed to be and get misused". They were very vague in their explanation.

I'm curious, why do they not want to send X-rays to the dental school faculty member but are ok with sending them to a private doc?

As above, you're entitled to all your notes/radiographs/etc. They may charge you for it. And they may not mail it for you...but you can get a copy...it's the law of the land.

 

[gryffindor]

Did you pay for this x-ray or was this part of a "free consult"? They may not want to send it because they are lazy or they don't like sending out records since you didn't start treatment in their office thus taking advantage of the "free." I'm going to totally speculate that by "misuse" they mean they've send records in the past and somehow they end up circulating in lectures or somewhere they didn't authorize and the ortho didn't like that. Technically you own the records so you should be able to press them into send you a copy, especially if it was digital, and then you can forward it on to your orthodontist at the school. Technically the office can charge you a fee for duplicating the record but it should be something minimal like $25 or less. Even if the x-ray wasn't digital, you can go to the office and request to take a picture of the film x-ray on the lightbox with your cell phone and send that to your dentist. I've received x-rays like this from parents from dental offices that are very difficult about releasing their records.

 

[swindoll]

Did you pay for this x-ray or was this part of a "free consult"? They may not want to send it because they are lazy or they don't like sending out records since you didn't start treatment in their office thus taking advantage of the "free." I'm going to totally speculate that by "misuse" they mean they've send records in the past and somehow they end up circulating in lectures or somewhere they didn't authorize and the ortho didn't like that. Technically you own the records so you should be able to press them into send you a copy, especially if it was digital, and then you can forward it on to your orthodontist at the school. Technically the office can charge you a fee for duplicating the record but it should be something minimal like $25 or less. Even if the x-ray wasn't digital, you can go to the office and request to take a picture of the film x-ray on the lightbox with your cell phone and send that to your dentist. I've received x-rays like this from parents from dental offices that are very difficult about releasing their records.

Yes, I paid for it.

 

[swindoll]

Thank you everyone!! They agreed to email the record to me.

 

[doc toothache]

Did you pay for this x-ray or was this part of a "free consult"? They may not want to send it because they are lazy or they don't like sending out records since you didn't start treatment in their office thus taking advantage of the "free." I'm going to totally speculate that by "misuse" they mean they've send records in the past and somehow they end up circulating in lectures or somewhere they didn't authorize and the ortho didn't like that. Technically you own the records so you should be able to press them into send you a copy, especially if it was digital, and then you can forward it on to your orthodontist at the school. Technically the office can charge you a fee for duplicating the record but it should be something minimal like $25 or less. Even if the x-ray wasn't digital, you can go to the office and request to take a picture of the film x-ray on the lightbox with your cell phone and send that to your dentist. I've received x-rays like this from parents from dental offices that are very difficult about releasing their records.

"Technically" the records are "owned" by the practitioner, not the patient .

 

[Daneosaurus]

"Technically" the records are "owned" by the practitioner, not the patient .

This is true, but the patient is entitled to a copy. It's part of HIPAA.

 

[doc toothache]

This is true, but the patient is entitled to a copy. It's part of HIPAA.

Nice of you to point those out. You will find out in a few years that laws/rules/regulations regarding patient records have been around long before HIPAA.

 

[Daurang]

You have every right to receive a copy of your chart and xray. However you may need to pay a nominal fee for it.