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As Managing Director of Purview, Les Trachtman drives Purview’s shared mission to improve medical outcomes and access to quality medical expertise for millions of people, regardless of geography. Les is a seasoned entrepreneur, educator, and author with over four decades of experience in strategy, consulting, and start-ups. Les is also an adjunct instructor at the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School, where he shares his years of experience and insights with the next generation of business leaders. He is a frequent guest lecturer at Harvard Business School, MIT and other academic institutions, as well as a board member of The Metro Group. Les is also known as the author of the Amazon bestseller "Don't F**K It Up, How Founders and Their Successors Can Avoid the Cliches that Inhibit Growth", and a blogger on founder succession and other topics. He is passionate about sailing, traveling, and challenging the status quo.
As we discussed in our previous blog post, whomever took your scan legally owns the image. Despite that, we raised several reasons that patients should be interested in controlling their own images. But where do my doctors fit into this puzzle?
Despite doctors reluctantly providing medical images directly to patients - there is a real need for patients to insist on access and control of these images. After all, the patient is the central hub for all of the images, records, diagnoses, that relate to him or her. So, it is completely logical that the patient would be THE appropriate repository for all information related to her own medical history. Otherwise, her medical record may be incomplete which may impact prescribed treatment.
It may amaze you to learn that the X-rays, CT Scans & MRIs of intimate parts of your anatomy are not your property. Pretty shocking, huh? In fact, the imaging center or hospital that took these images owns the title (copyright) to the image itself and the media on which it exists. So, it shouldn't come as a surprise that many doctors are reluctant to provide their patients with these images.
