I agree with those hypothetical possibilities. The other type of failure is also possible.

My dad recently had a detached retina. He spent 5 hours getting his own medical records. In the medical records, it said he was given a dose of Cipro. "Which is funny because I am deathly allergic to Cipro, and since I am alive I certainly wasn't given Cipro."

Had he not spent 5 hours getting medical records and writing letters, some future doctor could easily kill him based on that erroneous medical record. Other than retired people, who has the time to penetrate the HIPAA mess. It can be lifesaving.