VitalCare Internal Medicine • Concord, NH
Patient Health LiteracyUnderstanding Your Medical Records: Your Right to Know
Your medical record belongs to you — and you have every right to understand what's in it. Here's how to take ownership of your health history.
When a new patient transfers her records to establish care with a new primary care physician, something surprising happens more often than you'd think: buried in the file is a finding from a prior visit — an imaging result, a lab value, a note — that was never actually discussed with her. It was documented, filed, and never revisited.
It's a good reminder for all of us: your medical record belongs to you, and you have every right to understand what's in it. Findings on imaging, labs, or exams sometimes get filed away without a clear conversation about what they mean or whether follow-up is needed.
A note on privacy: Any patient scenario referenced on this page has been generalized and de-identified to protect patient privacy. It does not describe, and is not intended to identify, any specific individual.
Why understanding your own record matters
Most people assume that if something on a test result mattered, someone would have called. Usually that's true — but not always. Reports get generated, summaries get written, and details can get lost between departments, providers, or a busy day at the office. That's not a reason to distrust your care team; it's a reason to stay engaged as an active partner in your own health, rather than a passive recipient of it.
A few ways to take ownership of your health
- Ask your provider to walk you through the full report of any imaging study or lab test — not just the summary.
- If a note mentions a "finding," "incidental finding," or "recommend follow-up," ask directly what it means and what the next step should be.
- Request copies of your records when you switch providers, and review them yourself.
- Keep a personal health summary of your major diagnoses, screenings, and results.
Being an engaged partner in your own care is one of the best things you can do for your long-term health.
What "incidental finding" actually means
An incidental finding is something noticed on a test that wasn't the reason you had the test done in the first place — a small nodule spotted on a chest X-ray taken for a cough, for example, or a mildly elevated lab value flagged on a routine panel. Incidental findings aren't automatically cause for alarm. Some resolve on their own or need no action at all. Others do need monitoring or follow-up. The only way to know which category yours falls into is to ask.
The kind of care a primary care visit can cover
Internal medicine covers a lot more ground than many people expect. A single relationship with a primary care physician can span:
If any of these apply to you, or to a family history you're concerned about, that's exactly the kind of thing worth raising at your next visit — screening and follow-up decisions are usually easier to make together than to guess at alone.
A note from VitalCare Internal Medicine
VitalCare Internal Medicine is a Concord, NH primary care clinic built around unhurried, direct primary care — the kind of relationship where there's actually time to walk through a lab report line by line, not just scroll to the summary. If you're not currently a VitalCare patient and have a medical question or concern, please reach out to your own primary care provider.
Know someone looking for a doctor who has time for them?
Refer a friend or family member to VitalCare Internal Medicine — no-copay visits, one-hour appointments, and consistent, unhurried care.
— Dr. Sana Siddiqui, Founder, VitalCare Internal Medicine