[aschneid]

At Kaiser, you just have to walk into any member services office and request. It doesn't happen right then, but I believe in a few days you get a thumb drive with all of your records on them.

However, the law allows the doctors to redact certain portions in your copy that they feel could be harmful to you.

[stevekemp]

1-2 years after moving to Finland I had a brain-scan done, and the doctor involved told me I could get a copy of the data if I was interested.

In the past I worked at a medical company, so I was familiar with the joys of DICOM, etc. I paid €20 for a copy of my own brain-scan data on CD-ROM, posted to my house.

Pretty mind-blowing to have access to a scan of my own brain (well blood-vessels at least) on my home PC.

[jolmg]

> However, the law allows the doctors to redact certain portions in your copy that they feel could be harmful to you.

Like what?

[ceejayoz]

https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance...

Scroll down to "Information Excluded from the Right of Access", particularly the bit about psychotherapy notes.

Also see "Reviewable grounds for denial (45 CFR 164.524(a)(3))", which includes things like "The access requested is reasonably likely to endanger the life or physical safety of the individual or another person" or "The access requested is reasonably likely to cause substantial harm to a person (other than a health care provider) referenced in the PHI".

https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/faq/2046/under-w...

> Another limited ground for denial exists if a licensed health care professional determines in the exercise of professional judgment that the access requested is reasonably likely to endanger the life or physical safety of the individual or another person. For example, a covered entity may deny a suicidal patient access to information that a provider determines in his professional judgment is reasonably likely to lead the patient to take her own life.

[zdragnar]

There was an interesting discussion earlier on here about the potential emotional harms of suggesting to a patient that they are likely to develop Alzheimer's within a few years (an AI based early detection system).

On the one hand, you might catch it and treat it earlier. On the other hand, it will color every interaction you have with others and cause stress every time you try to remember something. The potential harm may very well exceed the harm of not telling the patient (up to and including suicide).

If a doctor suspects something but lacks evidence, they may simply make a note to look for more signs at subsequent follow-ups. A patient seeing that may read more into it than is there, and subsequently suffer undue stress or paranoia.

[michaelmrose]

Like any parts which could cause you to sever ties with them, find insulting, or sue them.

[jdeibele]

Patient claims to be suicidal.

[conanbatt]

"Extremely painful stomach cancer ruled out"