URBANA — Patients of Carle doctors are being asked to verify details of their medical history in connection with a recent change in Carle's electronic medical record system.

"We certainly have not lost any data," said Mike Sutter, executive director of clinical systems at Carle. "I think patients' perception may be that we have."

Sutter said the change in electronic medical records at Carle was launched Aug. 31 and was necessary to roll the records of the former Carle Clinic, now Carle Physician Services, and Carle Foundation Hospital, into one unified system.

The physician records were combined with the system that has been used by the hospital since 2007. Sutter said it's the best practice, when changing from one record system to another, to ask patients to validate the information. Patients have been asked to answer questions about their allergies, vaccinations and details about their medications, he said.

Francis Boyle, a University of Illinois law professor, said he went to an appointment with a Carle doctor Aug. 31, ran through his medical history with a nurse and couldn't help wondering how his 86-year-old mother could recall all those details.

But he was especially disturbed later when he got a printout of this exchange and found some incorrect information about his prescription drugs and a gap in his medical history — four "unspecified" vaccinations, he said.

"I looked at this and said, What good is that? I travel all over the world, and I have to get some heavy-duty vaccinations," Boyle said. "Looking at the list, I could reconstruct one of them as yellow fever. Looking at the other three, I don't know. Maybe one of them was a polio booster."

Boyle said he thinks it's dangerous for Carle to wait for patients to come in and verify that all their medical records information is intact. He thinks each patient should be called at home, and Carle should take steps to make sure someone is present to verify information correctly for the elderly.

"Carle needs to be acting proactively here," he said.

Carle spokeswoman Jennifer Hendricks said all patients undergoing this verification process are being provided an after-visit summary in writing and are encouraged to call 383-3333 if they see anything in the summary they think isn't correct. Patients can also request a copy of their complete medical records from Carle for a fee, she said.

She and Sutter emphasize nothing has been lost: The old record system will remain for at least the next two years, and the new system includes a link to it that medical providers can access any time they wish to also view patient records there, Sutter said.

But there are numerous advantages to being in one unified system with the hospital, Sutter said. For instance, if a patient turns up at the emergency room, the emergency room doctor now has instant access to that patient's drug allergies and other medical history in one system, he said.

Hendricks also said Carle was recognized this past summer in national rankings for its electronic medical records improvements, and patients haven't been complaining about the verification process for the new system.