Unlike hospitals, a doctor's office keeps records that are not -- yet -- heavily regulated by the federal government. Incredibly, things usually turn out OK even so.

If office chart organization varies quite a bit, it's also pretty simple.

Clinic Visit Notes	1	The doctor's typed or scribbled record of each office visit. Chronological.
Test Results	2	Lab, pathology, X-ray, EKG. Sometimes separated and sub-tabbed, sometimes jumbled with the clinic notes.
Outside Records	3	Letters from other doctors. Copies of hospital consults, discharge summaries, x-rays, labs. An important section that may include records you're having trouble getting from a stonewalling doctor or hospital.
Other		Occasionally office charts have separate sections for phone calls, prescriptions, and tracking the progress of chronic diseases like diabetes.
Miscellaneous	4	Count on finding a few unclassifiable pages.