Submitting Medical Records/Giving Access to Clinic

[BudGuy]

Hi all. I'm new, and very early in the process of my MC journey. At the moment I've filled out the eligibility questionnaire with Curaleaf about a week ago. As part of the application, it gave the option of allowing Curaleaf to access my medical records directly from my GP themselves, or to submit them myself. I chose to give them access and gave them all the details for my GP. However, I am still able to upload additional documentation to Curaleaf, so I was wondering if it might be worth it to also try to get records myself, just in case that might be quicker than trusting the GP/Curaleaf to settle it quickly in the background. I know GPs are not the most reliable for service at the moment, so I'm a bit anxious about this stage of it in terms of delay, and just wondering if it could go any faster if I get on to them directly?

If I was to do that, would it just be a "summary of care" that I would ask for? Is that something a GP can print off for you there and then in the practice, or will I need to wait for it to be compiled and sent out? Is a digital copy okay, or does it have to be a scan of printed paperwork or what?

Additionally, one of my two prior therapies was arranged privately, so won't feature on my GP medical records, so I'm wondering what I should do about that. I have payment records from my private medical insurer which show the dates of treatment and the details of the therapist, but does not give any information on the treatment itself. For now I've uploaded these records anyway, but will they be sufficient, or do I need to contact the therapist to get more detailed records? If so, what should I ask to be included in those records?

I'm in Scotland if that has any relevance.

Also, it would be great in general if anyone could give a general idea of the expected timeline for this stage? They do say you normally will be invited to your initial consultation within a few working days of them receiving all the info they need. But how long does it generally take to get that information to them, whether by giving them permission to request access or trying to compile and submit it myself? Would love to know your experiences.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Muiredach]

Welcome @BudGuy, best of luck on the start of your MC journey

However, I am still able to upload additional documentation to Curaleaf, so I was wondering if it might be worth it to also try to get records myself, just in case that might be quicker than trusting the GP/Curaleaf to settle it quickly in the background.

Generally yes, you can typically have your GP surgery supply your SOC record same-day - though it does largely depend on their own responsiveness to queries. In almost all cases it's quicker to obtain the information yourself, then submit/upload to your clinic.

If I was to do that, would it just be a "summary of care" that I would ask for? Is that something a GP can print off for you there and then in the practice, or will I need to wait for it to be compiled and sent out? Is a digital copy okay, or does it have to be a scan of printed paperwork or what?

Just your SOC will normally suffice, sometimes patients are asked for further information about a particular treatment or something specific - though that's the exception and not the norm. Your GP reception should be able to produce it immediately. You'll need digital copies, if you go into the surgery in-person and ask for a print-out (something many patients do) - then you'll need to scan or photograph each page.

Additionally, one of my two prior therapies was arranged privately, so won't feature on my GP medical records, so I'm wondering what I should do about that. I have payment records from my private medical insurer which show the dates of treatment and the details of the therapist, but does not give any information on the treatment itself. For now I've uploaded these records anyway, but will they be sufficient, or do I need to contact the therapist to get more detailed records? If so, what should I ask to be included in those records?

Generally speaking your GP should have been informed of your private treatment already, and your GP surgery should have received information to update your records. Similar to what Curaleaf will do moving forward once you're a registered patient.

Given this is for therapy, and you're not proving previous history/dosing of medications, I feel just being able to prove you had the therapy sessions with payment/booking details may be okay. It's ultimately up to Curaleaf whether they feel they need more information.

Also, it would be great in general if anyone could give a general idea of the expected timeline for this stage? They do say you normally will be invited to your initial consultation within a few working days of them receiving all the info they need. But how long does it generally take to get that information to them, whether by giving them permission to request access or trying to compile and submit it myself? Would love to know your experiences.

When a clinic contacts your GP themselves for information it truly is a mixed bag, sometimes they're instantly provided with records, sometimes it's a drawn out multi-week process where the clinic may come back to you and say "we can't get your records, please try yourself."

When those records are ultimately received by Curaleaf, it will likely be just a couple of days until you're invited to an appointment - unless they have any further queries.

 

[BudGuy]

Perfect, thanks for the info.

 

[GrownHealth]

Welcome to the forum @BudGuy and nice to see you got the answers you need .

 

[node]

Welcome @BudGuy

 

[Dooby Doo]

Welcome @BudGuy