COML representative Yoshiko Tsujimoto said that many people contacting her organization wanted to see their medical records. Their doctors, they said, provided them with insufficient data, undermining trust between them. We always advise them to tell the doctors what they tell us on the phone. According to the Medio organization, a citizens' ombudsman group based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, the number of doctors who disclose detailed medical information, including medical files, to patients has slightly increased over the years, but it is still insignificant. Only about 100 of Japan's approximately 240,000 doctors hand over the data.
Most doctors are unwilling to show the files.
Some health care service observers have pointed out that doctors are not trained to share medical information. In addition, most doctors regard medical files as personal notes, not as official documents. As a result, the files vary in size and content and are often not deemed fit for scrutiny. According to the Japanese Society of Medical Record Administration, doctors are too busy to write medical records that could be understood by everyone. The society called for drastic reform to reduce the concentration of patients at large hospitals, for medical records specialists to be employed at hospitals, and for the cost to be reflected in fees hospitals are permitted to charge.