What do you think you would do if all of your medical records and history were destroyed? Hundreds of patients in Acton, Mass. nearly found out when family physician Ronald Moody was evicted from his office last September after he allowed his medical license to lapse.
Fortunately for the patients, Concord, MA-based Emerson Hospital stepped in and took possession of the files; Christine Schuster, the hospital's CEO said Emerson now will help patients, not only to recover their files, but also to find a new doctor.
"We felt like it is our community and we should take care of our people," Schuster said of her facility's efforts.
Moody, 62, was not affiliated with the hospital. He did not tell his patients what was going on, and instead simply closed, not even bothering to put a sign in the door. To further enhance the problem, no state agency is in charge of finding patients, or even of taking possession of the records if an event like this occurs.
Jim Appleyard, owner of a storage company that cleaned out Moody's office and initially took possession of the records, was bothered by the idea of simply getting rid of the records, but was told by state officials that "they didn't have the authority, budget, or storage space to take the files."
That's when Emerson stepped in.
"I couldn't imagine anything as good as Emerson doing this," Appleyard said. "This is fabulous."
To learn more about this:
- here's the Boston Globe's article