Letters: Giving records to patients might save lives

Giving records to patients might save lives

I was in a similar situation to that of Craig MacGregor, the musician who wasn't told about his cancer for four years ("A matter of records," Sunday). My 20-year-old son was having horrible back pain, and an orthopedist discussed treatment for a "probable disc problem." I asked him about a radiologist's report that noted a shadow on my son's pelvis and recommended further testing. The doctor admitted that he had not read the report, looked at it, and ordered a CT scan.

My son was diagnosed with bone cancer. Fortunately, it was caught early, stage 2. After a year of chemotherapy and surgery, he has been cancer-free for nine years. I shudder to think what the outcome would have been had I not read that medical report.

Shame on the Pennsylvania Medical Society and the Pennsylvania Radiological Society for opposing a state House bill that would require test results to be sent to patients. The medical society claims the reports could be confusing to patients and cause anxiety, while the radiologists say the process would be expensive. I would rather experience anxiety than face a medical error that could result in a life-and-death issue.

Let us be our own best advocates. Give us the records.

|Rose Mary Murphy, Devon