good doctor?

Now that I have been here a while it struck me that I ought to find a Doctor just in case I might need one sometime. Does someone have a suggestion on a good one? Also did you bring your medical records down with you for your new Doctor?

Most doctors in Mexico do not keep your records (including many specialists in Guadalajara). A few are beginning to keep them on computer, but not many. I brought down all my medical records and keep them at home and if I have a condition I want to discuss I take those particular records in. You even keep your xrays and test results at home and take them in to the doctor when necessary. Twice two different local doctors offered to keep my xrays and the next time I needed them they were gone.

So I have found the best advice is to keep your own records at home, even if the doctor you decide to see here keeps them on his computer.

elgringo wrote:Now that I have been here a while it struck me that I ought to find a Doctor just in case I might need one sometime. Does someone have a suggestion on a good one?

Elgringo, you may have seen the posts regarding the blood drive and how Dr. Juan Pablo is helping coordinate donors. He's that kind of guy. He also has a special section on the board index which tells you a little about him and how to contact him. I am still NOB but when I came down in April I went to see him and found him to be a very good, caring person and intend to choose him to be my personal doctor when I move down.

Others on this forum have also been under his care, (right RoofBob) and are pleased, so you may want to check him out. He's in Chapala.

Juan

Best would be to bring your records down, scan them and then email them to your doctor so he will always have them (assuming he can always access his email).

Also by doing such you'll always have a copy of your medical records in your saved outbox in case you go on holiday and need them.

My doctor in Ohio wanted to charge me $70.00 to release of my medical records! I told him to forget it... that's ridiculous. That was 5 years ago, and I decided to start fresh here. I first saw Dr. Juan Pablo a month ago, and yes, he's wonderful, and yes, I'm storing in my home, safely, all my own x-rays, test results, records, etc.

I may add that we've moved here permanently, so the Ohio doctor is no longer in the picture, it may be different if you stay here part time...

Used to be I could get a copy of my records in the States just for the asking, not any more. Now I must pay $10 for the first 10 pages, and more for the rest. Lot better deal than you were offered eñe, but offensive nonetheless. Lizzy

I'll say, and what an obnoxious rip-off. And add to that we had lousy insurance coverage (co-pays applied to practically nothing) then to have them hold our records for ransom? ¡Qué barbaro!

Guess when people move down here and want to bring medical records, they should be aware that perhaps they'll be requested to pay for them, I guess since if you're going back and forth they make copies of them, which isn't free...(time and material)? Still doesn't seem right though, I never realized that I didn't "own" my records. I like the system here better

For all you people from California, I'll post the law that applies for obtaining records.

This is from the California Health & Safety Code

123100. The Legislature finds and declares that every person having
ultimate responsibility for decisions respecting his or her own
health care also possesses a concomitant right of access to complete
information respecting his or her condition and care provided.
Similarly, persons having responsibility for decisions respecting the
health care of others should, in general, have access to information
on the patient's condition and care. It is, therefore, the intent of
the Legislature in enacting this chapter to establish procedures for
providing access to health care records or summaries of those
records by patients and by those persons having responsibility for
decisions respecting the health care of others.


123105. As used in this chapter:
(a) "Health care provider" means any of the following:
(1) A health facility licensed pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing
with Section 1250) of Division 2.
(2) A clinic licensed pursuant to Chapter 1 (commencing with
Section 1200) of Division 2.
(3) A home health agency licensed pursuant to Chapter 8
(commencing with Section 1725) of Division 2.
(4) A physician and surgeon licensed pursuant to Chapter 5
(commencing with Section 2000) of Division 2 of the Business and
Professions Code or pursuant to the Osteopathic Act.
(5) A podiatrist licensed pursuant to Article 22 (commencing with
Section 2460) of Chapter 5 of Division 2 of the Business and
Professions Code.
(6) A dentist licensed pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with
Section 1600) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code.
(7) A psychologist licensed pursuant to Chapter 6.6 (commencing
with Section 2900) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions
Code.
(8) An optometrist licensed pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with
Section 3000) of Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code.
(9) A chiropractor licensed pursuant to the Chiropractic
Initiative Act.
(10) A marriage and family therapist licensed pursuant to Chapter
13 (commencing with Section 4980) of Division 2 of the Business and
Professions Code.
(11) A clinical social worker licensed pursuant to Chapter 14
(commencing with Section 4990) of Division 2 of the Business and
Professions Code.
(12) A physical therapist licensed pursuant to Chapter 5.7
(commencing with Section 2600) of Division 2 of the Business and
Professions Code.
(13) An occupational therapist licensed pursuant to Chapter 5.6
(commencing with Section 2570).
(b) "Mental health records" means patient records, or discrete
portions thereof, specifically relating to evaluation or treatment of
a mental disorder. "Mental health records" includes, but is not
limited to, all alcohol and drug abuse records.
(c) "Patient" means a patient or former patient of a health care
provider.
(d) "Patient records" means records in any form or medium
maintained by, or in the custody or control of, a health care
provider relating to the health history, diagnosis, or condition of a
patient, or relating to treatment provided or proposed to be
provided to the patient. "Patient records" includes only records
pertaining to the patient requesting the records or whose
representative requests the records. "Patient records" does not
include information given in confidence to a health care provider by
a person other than another health care provider or the patient, and
that material may be removed from any records prior to inspection or
copying under Section 123110 or 123115. "Patient records" does not
include information contained in aggregate form, such as indices,
registers, or logs.
(e) "Patient's representative" or "representative" means any of
the following:
(1) A parent or guardian of a minor who is a patient.
(2) The guardian or conservator of the person of an adult patient.
(3) An agent as defined in Section 4607 of the Probate Code, to
the extent necessary for the agent to fulfill his or her duties as
set forth in Division 4.7 (commencing with Section 4600) of the
Probate Code.
(4) The beneficiary as defined in Section 24 of the Probate Code
or personal representative as defined in Section 58 of the Probate
Code, of a deceased patient.
(f) "Alcohol and drug abuse records" means patient records, or
discrete portions thereof, specifically relating to evaluation and
treatment of alcoholism or drug abuse.



123110. (a) Notwithstanding Section 5328 of the Welfare and
Institutions Code, and except as provided in Sections 123115 and
123120, any adult patient of a health care provider, any minor
patient authorized by law to consent to medical treatment, and any
patient representative shall be entitled to inspect patient records
upon presenting to the health care provider a written request for
those records and upon payment of reasonable clerical costs incurred
in locating and making the records available. However, a patient who
is a minor shall be entitled to inspect patient records pertaining
only to health care of a type for which the minor is lawfully
authorized to consent. A health care provider shall permit this
inspection during business hours within five working days after
receipt of the written request. The inspection shall be conducted by
the patient or patient's representative requesting the inspection,
who may be accompanied by one other person of his or her choosing.

(b) Additionally, any patient or patient's representative shall be
entitled to copies of all or any portion of the patient records that
he or she has a right to inspect, upon presenting a written request
to the health care provider specifying the records to be copied,
together with a fee to defray the cost of copying, that shall not
exceed twenty-five cents ($0.25) per page or fifty cents ($0.50) per
page for records that are copied from microfilm and any additional
reasonable clerical costs incurred in making the records available.
The health care provider shall ensure that the copies are transmitted
within 15 days after receiving the written request.

(c) Copies of X-rays or tracings derived from electrocardiography,
electroencephalography, or electromyography need not be provided to
the patient or patient's representative under this section, if the
original X-rays or tracings are transmitted to another health care
provider upon written request of the patient or patient's
representative and within 15 days after receipt of the request. The
request shall specify the name and address of the health care
provider to whom the records are to be delivered. All reasonable
costs, not exceeding actual costs, incurred by a health care provider
in providing copies pursuant to this subdivision may be charged to
the patient or representative requesting the copies.

(d) (1) Notwithstanding any provision of this section, and except
as provided in Sections 123115 and 123120, any patient or former
patient or the patient's representative shall be entitled to a copy,
at no charge, of the relevant portion of the patient's records, upon
presenting to the provider a written request, and proof that the
records are needed to support an appeal regarding eligibility for a
public benefit program. These programs shall be the Medi-Cal program,
social security disability insurance benefits, and Supplemental
Security Income/State Supplementary Program for the Aged, Blind and
Disabled (SSI/SSP) benefits. For purposes of this subdivision,
"relevant portion of the patient's records" means those records
regarding services rendered to the patient during the time period
beginning with the date of the patient's initial application for
public benefits up to and including the date that a final
determination is made by the public benefits program with which the
patient's application is pending.
(2) Although a patient shall not be limited to a single request,
the patient or patient's representative shall be entitled to no more
than one copy of any relevant portion of his or her record free of
charge.
(3) This subdivision shall not apply to any patient who is
represented by a private attorney who is paying for the costs related
to the patient's appeal, pending the outcome of that appeal. For
purposes of this subdivision, "private attorney" means any attorney
not employed by a nonprofit legal services entity.

(e) If the patient's appeal regarding eligibility for a public
benefit program specified in subdivision (d) is successful, the
hospital or other health care provider may bill the patient, at the
rates specified in subdivisions (b) and (c), for the copies of the
medical records previously provided free of charge.

(f) If a patient or his or her representative requests a record
pursuant to subdivision (d), the health care provider shall ensure
that the copies are transmitted within 30 days after receiving the
written request.

(g) This section shall not be construed to preclude a health care
provider from requiring reasonable verification of identity prior to
permitting inspection or copying of patient records, provided this
requirement is not used oppressively or discriminatorily to frustrate
or delay compliance with this section. Nothing in this chapter shall
be deemed to supersede any rights that a patient or representative
might otherwise have or exercise under Section 1158 of the Evidence
Code or any other provision of law. Nothing in this chapter shall
require a health care provider to retain records longer than required
by applicable statutes or administrative regulations.

(h) This chapter shall not be construed to render a health care
provider liable for the quality of his or her records or the copies
provided in excess of existing law and regulations with respect to
the quality of medical records. A health care provider shall not be
liable to the patient or any other person for any consequences that
result from disclosure of patient records as required by this
chapter. A health care provider shall not discriminate against
classes or categories of providers in the transmittal of X-rays or
other patient records, or copies of these X-rays or records, to other
providers as authorized by this section.
Every health care provider shall adopt policies and establish
procedures for the uniform transmittal of X-rays and other patient
records that effectively prevent the discrimination described in this
subdivision. A health care provider may establish reasonable
conditions, including a reasonable deposit fee, to ensure the return
of original X-rays transmitted to another health care provider,
provided the conditions do not discriminate on the basis of, or in a
manner related to, the license of the provider to which the X-rays
are transmitted.

(i) Any health care provider described in paragraphs (4) to (10),
inclusive, of subdivision (a) of Section 123105 who willfully
violates this chapter is guilty of unprofessional conduct. Any health
care provider described in paragraphs (1) to (3), inclusive, of
subdivision (a) of Section 123105 that willfully violates this
chapter is guilty of an infraction punishable by a fine of not more
than one hundred dollars ($100). The state agency, board, or
commission that issued the health care provider's professional or
institutional license shall consider a violation as grounds for
disciplinary action with respect to the licensure, including
suspension or revocation of the license or certificate.

(j) This section shall be construed as prohibiting a health care
provider from withholding patient records or summaries of patient
records because of an unpaid bill for health care services. Any
health care provider who willfully withholds patient records or
summaries of patient records because of an unpaid bill for health
care services shall be subject to the sanctions specified in
subdivision (i).


123111. (a) Any adult patient who inspects his or her patient
records pursuant to Section 123110 shall have the right to provide to
the health care provider a written addendum with respect to any item
or statement in his or her records that the patient believes to be
incomplete or incorrect. The addendum shall be limited to 250 words
per alleged incomplete or incorrect item in the patient's record and
shall clearly indicate in writing that the patient wishes the
addendum to be made a part of his or her record.

(b) The health care provider shall attach the addendum to the
patient's records and shall include that addendum whenever the health
care provider makes a disclosure of the allegedly incomplete or
incorrect portion of the patient's records to any third party.

(c) The receipt of information in a patient's addendum which
contains defamatory or otherwise unlawful language, and the inclusion
of this information in the patient's records, in accordance with
subdivision (b), shall not, in and of itself, subject the health care
provider to liability in any civil, criminal, administrative, or
other proceeding.

(d) Subdivision (f) of Section 123110 and Section 123120 shall be
applicable with respect to any violation of this section by a health
care provider.

elgringo wrote:Now that I have been here a while it struck me that I ought to find a Doctor just in case I might need one sometime. Does someone have a suggestion on a good one? Also did you bring your medical records down with you for your new Doctor?

We'd recommend Dr. Juan Pablo for all the reasons you would expect and several more, they are:

1. He keeps and maintains our medical records (we did not bring any from the states). The doctors we visited lakeside before we met Dr. Juan did not keep records.

2. He is on call 7/24 and makes house calls.

3. Dr. Juan scheduled some diagnostic tests that could only be done in Guad. and at our request he accompanied us as he had done on 2 previous visits, one for an outpatient surgical procedure.

Driving around Guad. is one thing we can do but finding the medical labs, searching their labyrinth of hallways and offices then communicating with their Spanish speaking staff is next to impossible for us.
With Dr. Juan it's - turn left here, turn right there, park there, in this building, down that hallway, up these stairs around the corner and viola, behind that door. Inevitable staff questions answered, medical forms completed, procedure started on time and the results analyzed by Dr. Juan and the staff before leaving.
Then we are out of there and off to breakfast or lunch toot sweet.

The cost is minimal (just ask!) and as a bonus we get to spend the travel and meal time chatting about medical stuff or anything of interest while enjoying the company of a highly educated and interesting young doctor.

Bob and Candace

I'm thinking you meant "tout de suite."

I probably would have if I knew what it meant.

Well it pretty much means what you intended. It's French phrase.

"At once, or right away, is the literal translation of this French phrase. This is very often written incorrectly as tout suite. The English have never been comfortable with adopting French terms into English and, compared with Latin phrases say, there aren't as many as we might expect considering how close the two countries are geographically. This ambivalence, and the fact that most English can't actually speak French or even make a decent stab at pronouncing French terms, is the source of the attempts to poke fun at the French by deliberately mispronouncing those French phrases that have made it into English - in this case as toot sweet."

From Wiki.

thanks, i appreciate all the help. i figured Dr. Juan would be the right choice but I thought I would ask.

bobnliz wrote:Used to be I could get a copy of my records in the States just for the asking, not any more. Now I must pay $10 for the first 10 pages, and more for the rest. Lot better deal than you were offered eñe, but offensive nonetheless. Lizzy

I had a situation where I needed to get copies of my records. I had my doctor write a note that he was requesting them and thereby there wasn't a charge for the copies. I just faxed it from Mail Boxes, Etc. and had no problem.

Sounds good, but I wished to bring my records with me in case I needed medical care while I was in Chapala. No doctor to request records....
Ironically, it turned out that I did need medical attention, but for a completely different problem I had never before encountered. Go figure! Lizzy

All Blue

"I think I have a problem, Doc," says a patient. "One of my balls has turned blue."

The doctor examines the man briefly and concludes that the patient will die if he doesn't have his testicle removed.

"Are you crazy?!" bursts the patient. "How could I let you do such a thing to me!"

"You want to die?" asks the doctor rhetorically, at which point the patient has to agree to have his testicle removed.

Two weeks after the operation, the patient comes back. "Doc, I don't know how to say this, but the other ball has turned blue, too."

Again, the doctor tells him that if he wants to live, his other testicle must be cut off, too. Again, the man is very reluctant to the idea.

"Hey, you want to die?" asks the doctor, and the patient has to agree with the operation. After two weeks of being testicle-less, the patient returns to the doctor and says, "I think something is very wrong with me. My penis is now completely blue"

After briefly examining the patient, the doctor gives him the bad news: If he wants to live, his penis has to go. Of course, the patient does not want to hear about it.

"You want to die?" asks the doctor.

"But...how do I pee?"

"We'll install a plastic pipe, and there will be no problem." So the patient has his penis removed, and, a while after the operation, the unfortunate man enters the doctor's office again. He is very angry.

"Doctor, the plastic pipe turned blue!"

"What?"

"Can you tell me what the hell is happening??"

The doctor examines the patient more carefully and says, "Hmmm, I don't know. Could it be the jeans?"