The COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card as a Travel Document

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My doctor's office does use computers - for scheduling appointments. Otherwise, everything appears to be still papers in files (you should see how thick my file is as my current doctor is in the practice my doctor, from when I was a pre-teen, joined when he decided to semi-retire). They won't take calls from pharmacies to auto refill prescriptions. They won't take faxes from patients. Etc, etc, etc. My doctor is ok, so I haven't bothered to find a new one (never know what the new one will be like).
My PCP's small practice got bought out by a giant local hospital complex that is heavily computerized. Now he spends more time checking things off on the computer than examining me.
 
Many of the doctors who were not big into using computers (except for billing) got a big push in NY because the state made it mandatory for almost every type of prescription for medication to be transmitted electronically. No more pilfered pads.
 
the state made it mandatory for almost every type of prescription for medication to be transmitted electronically. No more pilfered pads.

Maybe that is why my Ohio doctor never gives me a written prescription to take to a pharmacy just 4-5 minutes from his office.
 
My doctor's office does use computers - for scheduling appointments. Otherwise, everything appears to be still papers in files (you should see how thick my file is as my current doctor is in the practice my doctor, from when I was a pre-teen, joined when he decided to semi-retire). They won't take calls from pharmacies to auto refill prescriptions. They won't take faxes from patients. Etc, etc, etc. My doctor is ok, so I haven't bothered to find a new one (never know what the new one will be like).

My old doctor at Kaiser Permanente hated when they changed to computers, said he spent all his time writing. It always amazed me how they had to get your files from who knows where, somewhere down in the bowels of the bldg. THey would be moving large baskets of folders here and there. Now, they have all your info right in front of them. Except I think it only goes back to when they changed over to the computer. I’ve had discussions about medical issues and medications they seem to have no record of.
 
It always amazed me how they had to get your files from who knows where, somewhere down in the bowels of the bldg. THey would be moving large baskets of folders here and there.
I know we're getting wildly off-topic, but I can speak to this.

When I lived in Ann Arbor (1999-2001), I worked in the file repository for the University of Michigan Medical System. It was full-time on third shift.

The building was completely separate from the main medical campus and set up exactly like a library. We were given an assignment sheet every night that contained all of the files that had to be pulled for the next day's appointments. We each had a numbered section we were in charge of that evening. It was sort of a game to see who could pull all of their files first.

Once all of our files were pulled, we'd sit at tables and sort any loose sheets into their appropriate sections - lab results, x-rays, reports, etc. Some of the files were really thick. I remember a few patients that had as many as eight, completely stuffed files rubber-banded together.

Then, all of the files were sorted into bins for each building. The couriers would drop off the bins before they opened for appointments in the morning. My supervisor would take calls from the emergency department all night, requesting files they needed immediately, and hand them to the courier to run up.

The best part was that we were free to read and listen to music (with headphones) after we finished filling the bins. I often had my files finished by lunch, so I basically got paid to read for four hours every night. :)
 
I keep wondering just how many of the anti-maskers, or even those who are not sure if they are effective, would be happy to undergo surgery by a team of doctors, nurses etc not wearing masks. Would they happily go back to the barbaric old days when doctors didn’t wash their hands, wear masks, didn’t use sterilised equipment etc? Maybe they think masks only work in operating theatres.
Re the vaccine passport/card, there seems to be no suggestion of this in Australia. We have a centralised national health system (as well as state ones) whereby all our vaccination records are kept by the federal government and can be accessed by doctors, hospitals as well as the patient and then printed. I checked mine just recently and all of my vaccinations are recorded there.
In fact, unless a person requests otherwise, a health summary is also kept on this website. So if I am travelling and take ill, my medical records are available to doctors at whatever hospital I go to. As I have complex health issues I am more than happy with this system. Some folks are not and I suspect it wouldn’t fly in the US. But it makes me feel safe.
 
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