Just like I see most of my medical records: I take the book the nurse has out for the doctor and open it. If it's an office visit, it's usually in a plastic box on the door. For hospitals, it's usually on the gurney or the foot of the bed. The nurses and techies have to put entries into it, and nowadays there is usually a page or two of sticky labels for blood test tubes etc.

Plus in this case, I asked the ER doctor to be sure it was inpatient and he went out to the case manager and said he couldn't change her recommendation. The surgeon said he would after I mentioned I had started off in malpractice law. While you have to scan the pages, the info is there albeit with cryptic: adm:obv or adm: surg/ip,.
Usually I have so much waiting time, the doctors don't even know about it, but the few times one has walked in, I smile and ask a question about something in it.

Whew. long answer. Better strategy: just ask the doctor and ask the case manager directly. I did that too.
Charm