The power of words

[Pat94]

I am lucky. I am seen at a Comprehensive Cancer Center. All my reports, doctors' notes from exams, including the written information from scans are available online for me. I do wish they would put up the scan results before my meetings with the doctors so I could absorb the information, look up any terms I don't know, and formulate my questions in advance of the meetings. They don't want to do that though, they go online after. I don't always absorb everything up front but they have a way I can email my doctors. I have gotten answers back anywhere from 1 hour to 2 days later. My husband has always gone with me and takes notes. Together we determine the additional answers we want. Sometimes the staff respond back by return email and other times by phone. I am thrilled with their responsiveness.
If you aren't satisfied with their responsiveness and access, at least in the U.S., you can push to get your data. At the worst, you have to put your request in writing and wait a few days but you do have the right to have access to them.