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I'm Regina Holliday,
and I'm a patient's arts advocate.
And I love health IT, because with access to information,
you can help your family members.
You see, my husband had kidney cancer.
And the end of his life would have been better
if we had had timely access to the electronic medical record.
So I love health IT, and I love what's going on right now,
because it's about access, information, and sharing.
When my husband was in the hospital
and I was researching to try to get his record,
I was asking everybody.
I was asking the nurses and the techs and the other doctors.
Because the person in charge of my husband's care
was out of town.
And we had very little access to information.
I spent weeks trying to get more information
and actually see the record.
Finally, I went down to Medical Records
and was told it would be 73 cents per page
and a 21-day wait to see my husband's medical record
in the hospital he'd been continuously hospitalized in.
I couldn't believe it.
The very next day, the doctor said,
"We're sending you back to the other hospital.
You're going to go get the medical record."
I said, "Well, I've tried.
They won't give me the medical record."
He said, "They will now. You're going as a courier."
And I went back, and they printed the whole record out
in an hour and a half.
And I gave it to the new doctors,
and they looked at it for about an hour.
And they gave it back to me and said,
"Here, this is safest with you.
If you always have access to your husband's medical record,
he's going to get the best care."
And I read that document in about three hours.
And I was astounded, because it was filled with actionable data
that, if we could have only seen it
while my husband was being cared for,
it would have impacted his care
and created a better living condition for us all.
My husband was hospitalized in five facilities in eleven weeks.
We went through multiple transfers.
We went through 46 ambulance transports.
I have looked at EMRs from multiple companies.
And I found out how important it is
to have coordinated care in this country.
My husband finally went to hospice,
and when we went to hospice, they wanted me to leave the room
while they took his history.
I said, "No, I'm going to stand over there in the corner,
because you're going to need me."
And I had my binder right in front of me
of Fred's medical record.
And then they started asking him questions.
And he was so sick, and he hurted so bad,
and he turned to me and said, "Reggie, show them the record.
It says the answers to the questions."
And I could, because I had it with us.
I had access to the data.
And if there is one thing that we can change
by telling this story, it's that access
to your electronic medical record can change your life,
can save your life, but also, at the end of your life,
can make you happier and whole.
And I am honored to have the opportunity to do that.