This is exactly the way it should be handled, at least in California. Ideally, the letter describing the dissolution of the practice also contains the contact information of the custodian but sometimes that's not known at the time the initial letter goes out. Usually, when a practice dissolves altogether, patients are notified well in advance AND the practice hires a custodian to keep the medical records in some form. Sometimes it's totally seamless: the entire EMR is a large network and a practice that buys dissolving practice has total access; or, there's not an obvious custodian at all so an organization can be hired to maintain the records for at least 7 years.As an update:
I got an email from the doctor today and in it he mentioned:
1. Medical records will be handled by American Medical Solutions (AMS)
2. AMS will store, digitize, distribute and eventually shred his medical charts according to HIPPA compliance
3. He negotiated a 10 yr contract with AMS
4. After the patient signs a release with AMS they will email a link to download your medical records.
I recall talking with him a couple of months ago and he alluded that retirement would be coming sooner than later. I mentioned something about reducing his hours and they were already slightly reduced but his overhead on the office was in the neighborhood of $300,000 a year so cutting back too far wouldn't work. I'm guessing he never had any interest in sharing an office with another doctor.
I miss the older style of medical doctors like him and where he also did blood work/urine collection in the office. Made things easier and I didn't have to play who will I get at a lab? Someone good or someone that leaves me black and blue since they couldn't get the blood drawn properly despite my supposedly easy veins (according to most that have withdrawn blood from me).
Sadly my dermatologist retired about 2 years ago and he was excellent as well.
Thank you for the comments.
Statistics: Posted by Artsdoctor — Fri Oct 03, 2025 4:32 pm — Replies 18 — Views 1542