I am a concerned citizen who has experienced firsthand the impact of delayed medical record access in emergency situations. My mother was in a substandard hospital, in serious condition. It took repeated requests before we could finally move her to a better facility. But by then, she was in a critical state and the new hospital had no information about her medical history because the previous hospital failed to transfer her records promptly. Unfortunately, she is no longer with us since 04/12/24. This situation is unacceptable in the digital age where everything is online and vital patient information should be as easy to transfer as making a call.

Every year, thousands are probably facing similar experiences due to inefficient medical record management. Despite strides in electronic health record (EHR) technologies, there is the shocking lack of a cohesive system that ensures EHRs are available 24/7 across all emergency rooms in the United States. The 2019 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, estimated that about 130 million emergencies occur annually in the U.S where timely access to patient history can lower mortality rates and improves patient outcomes.

Given these alarming facts, we call on policymakers and health care providers to enact a mandate requiring all hospitals with emergency rooms to have staff on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year capable of providing immediate access to patient medical records and promptly transferring them to other emergency rooms across the country. This will overcome potentially life-threatening delays and create a more effective and responsive healthcare system.

Your signature on this petition will help save lives, prevent medical errors, and foster transparency in our healthcare system. Sign today and let's make accelerated patient records access a reality!