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Medical Author:

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Siamak T. Nabili, MD, MPH

Dr. Nabili received his undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), majoring in chemistry and biochemistry. He then completed his graduate degree at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His graduate training included a specialized fellowship in public health where his research focused on environmental health and health-care delivery and management.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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Can't My Records Be Obtained From My Family Doctor?

It is true that primary-care physicians or family physicians often have the most current and comprehensive health records for their patients. However, to rely solely on the family doctor to be available all the time and be able to locate the records instantaneously is unrealistic for these reasons:

• Emergencies can happen at any time -- day, night, weekend, and holidays -- and your personal doctor may not available all the time.



• A medical release form has to be authorized by the patient individually or by patient representative for another doctor, a specialist, or a facility to receive this information. This process is time-consuming, and it may take weeks; it is usually associated with out-of-pocket administrative cost.



• A patient may see multiple physicians for different health conditions, and it could take the family doctor some time to receive all the medical information from the consulting physicians.