You have an appointment with a new clinic, but your previous visits, lab results and prescription records are scattered across different offices. Where do you start?
Ask both offices what information will help the new visit. The new team can tell you what it would like to see; the previous office can explain how to request and send it. You don't need to guess which of the hundreds of pages in a medical record matter most.
Begin with the receiving office
Call the new clinic before the appointment and explain that you've had weight-management care elsewhere. Ask whether it wants a complete record or particular documents, and whether it prefers to receive them before your visit.
Depending on your care, the office might request a recent visit summary, relevant test results or notes about a previous treatment. If you had a side effect or stopped a medicine, ask whether the note describing that discussion would be useful. The team can tell you what makes sense for your situation.
Write down the office's name, the person or department receiving the information and its preferred secure delivery method. If you're given a form or destination, confirm the details with the clinic before sending anything sensitive.
Find out where each record is kept
Your prescribing clinic may have visit notes and its medication list. A separate laboratory, specialist or pharmacy may hold other information. If you're unsure who has a result, start with the office that ordered the test and ask where to find the full report.
A portal can be a useful first stop. Look for the date and the name of the clinic on a document before downloading it. A single screenshot of a lab number can leave out the rest of the report, so ask the new office whether it needs the complete result or something different.
If you don't use a portal, call the previous practice and ask which team handles record requests. Some offices have a health-information or records department. Explain where you want the information sent and ask what they need from you to start the request.
Ask about the format and delivery
Practices use different systems. One may accept a file through its portal; another may prefer a direct transfer or a paper copy. Ask both offices which options they can use and whether you need to complete a request form. Check whether there is a cost and when the office expects the records to be ready.
If you're sending a document yourself, use the secure method the receiving office recommends. Keep a note of what you sent and when. You can also ask whether the office needs a readable file rather than a photograph, especially if the report has several pages.
For your own copy, choose a place you can find later and protect it from people you don't want accessing it. Decide what you want to share with a family member or friend who helps you organize appointments.
Check for missing or confusing details
When the information arrives, look for the right person's name, the dates you requested and the documents the new clinic mentioned. If a page is missing or a result doesn't look familiar, ask the office that supplied it for help. Don't alter a medical record yourself to make it match what you remember.
An older medication list may describe what was recorded at an earlier visit rather than everything you take today. Bring the current packaging or an up-to-date list to the appointment and tell the clinician about anything that appears different. Let the care team clarify the details instead of guessing which instruction applies.
Confirm the handoff
A few days before the appointment, ask the new clinic whether the requested records arrived and can be opened. If they're still on the way, tell the office what you've requested and ask whether the visit should go ahead as planned. Bring the documents you do have and note any unanswered questions.
Our guide to discussing a medication change with a new clinician covers the treatment conversation itself. The records request has a simpler aim: get the right information to the right people in a form they can use.