The Advent Hospital near me offers excellent health care, but it seems they are a closed system.
Tests and results done there are not easily shared with other hospitals.
Another nearby hospital, affiliated with the UNC system, has fluctuated in their care and their ratings. Neither seems to share their information with the other.
I generally choose Advent because they give better care. I've had to get copies of reports, or discs with scans to bring to other doctors.
A friend of mine was a pediatric nurse case manager. She was very scrupulous about sending reports and results to out of system practitioners. When she had a medical problem several years ago, her short term disability was denied because her information wasn't sent by the office that was supposed to handle that. She was told that it was her responsibility as the patient to make sure her records and results were sent, received, and accurate. She was livid, especially because she knew most patients don't have the ability to navigate this crazy system. The back office staff and case managers didn't want to take the extra step.
Because of her connections, she was able to find out she was denied because there was no treatment plan included by her doctor. Once they updated the report her temporary disability was approved. She ended up retiring after the ordeal.
= new reply since forum marked as read