Community Chat

[hopeQ1]

He probably has a legal right to do so.

[adoreqvc]

If a hospital procedure was done then I always request those records and there is a charge for that for locating the transcripts and printing them, but I also inform them to please call when the records are , so I can personally pick them up.

If memory serves me correctly I believe that a person still has the right to choose if the medical information should be made available in medical terms, or lay person's terms. We once requested layperson's terms from the Hospital since the records were for my sister's personal use, and she wanted to be able to fully comprehend the contents.

If I have had any tests done I always ask for copies from the physician, when I go in and see the physician for the results, and there is no fee for that. Cone Density test done in gynecologist's office also releases the results directly to the patient before they leave and if there is a charge for that I am sure it is covered in what they charge for the procedure done in the GYN's office by the technician.

Different states have different laws so knowing individual state law is advantageous.

So sorry this unfortunate over zealous medical related appetite to over charge patients has become so prevalent......charging for copying records is understandable, but gouging the patient for additional funds above and beyond is truly unconscionable!

There are legal consequences for these actions, and rightfully so.

[esmeraldagooch]

Did you request hard copies mailed to you? I have been charged for that with mailing. If they fax them it's always been froo.

[LilacTree]

It may be illegal for him to charge you for forwarding your medical records. Do you mean you owe him money and haven't paid him? I don't know the law on that.

I think it may be different in every state. I would google it.

[HULAGIRL]

I've never been charged for my medical records, but I've also never had a doctor be willing to give me personally my records.....they've always forwarded them to my new doctors.

[Lipstickdiva]

I request medical records almost daily for clients. Of course this is different because I work for a law firm and we are requesting them as a third party representing the patient.

There are very few doctors who do not charge us for the records. It us usually a per page charge and the per page fee goes down the more pages they are sending. There is also generally a base fee that is a flat fee, on top of the per page charge and a retrieval fee that is also a flat fee on top of the other charges.

If the OP is requesting ALL of her records from day one, depending on how long she's been going to him, that fee adds up. It is not out of the ordinary for us to pay in excess of $100.00, sometimes up to $400.00 for records.

[chrystaltree]

Call the medical board in your state, find out what the law says about transferring medical records. My state has specific time limits for when they have to comply, they can charge for photocopying and for the labor involved. They cannot hold records hostage over unpaid bills. You say eye doctor, I assume that means ophthalmologist, not optometrist. The law might not apply to optometrists. Why are you asking for the records? You new doctor should have made the request, he should have requested that specific material be sent to his office. If there is a charge, he would pass that charge along to you. However, as a professional courtesy, there usually is no charge.

[stilltamn8r]

Yeah, it is doubtful that your new doctor will expect you to walk in with all your past medical records under your arm...they have a process for requesting them...

[patbz]

When DH was at Mayo for 2 weeks and I requested a HUGE record they gave it to me on disc (5 yrs ago, maybe today it would be on a flash drive) no charge, as I recall, so maybe that's another option.

[stilltamn8r]

On 8/1/2014 ILikeShade said:

I always request a copy of the test results of any medical test I may have had. One time, I was told by an office staff employee that I had to pay .25 per copy and I thought it was the cheesiest thing I ever heard....in fact I felt like turning right back around and telling the doctor who I had just seen exactly that, while throwing .50 at him. "Here sucker, you must need the money awfully bad....take your .50 and put it where the sun don't shine." Next time I'll bring my own printer paper and see what they say, I'll even press the print button on the machine for them.

BTW...all their office supplies, paper and toner is a business write off. Pfft!

A write off is STILL an expense...the time it takes to copy voluminous records can be considerable, should a physician have to pay an employee to do that withno reimbursement? When lawyers and insurance companies request records from hospitals, they frequently hire a service which arrives with their own portable copy machine to copy the records, so it's obviously a costly process. ( if it pays to start a service to provide such)