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Charging for your own medical records? (1 Viewer)

Ryan Wright

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As you know, hospitals and doctors offices and other places keep records on you. A number of years ago my wife had surgery at a local hospital. We have a need to obtain these records, as they impact a current health consideration for my wife.

The hospital is forcing us to pay $15.00 for them!

I know, it's only fifteen bucks, so I should just pay it and quit my whining. But I can't help but wonder if this is legal? They have information on my wife and are charging her a fee to release it to her, which disgusts me. I've had doctor and dentist records given to me on many different occasions and have never had to pay a fee, so this is a surprise to me. This is not information that they've given us previously, so it's not like we're asking for a re-print of something we already have. We simply want the internal records that the hospital has on her regarding her surgery, that have never been released to us previously.

What are your thoughts on the ethical and legal issues here?

(edit: title should have said "Charging FOR your own medical records")
 

Leila Dougan

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I don't know the legality of such a practice, but it sounds wholly unethical. I'd be against it just as much as you are.
 

LDfan

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Jeffrey
Man, that is robbery. You have the legal rights to those records so they shouldn't charge you for them. When my wife was hospitalized last summer they gladly made photocopies of all her records for us free of charge.


Good Luck
Jeff
 

MarkHastings

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Ryan, I don't know where you live so I can only use this as a suggestion, but according to the New York State laws:
http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/opmc/medright.htm

Here's a quote from that site
Q. If I want copies of my records, do I have to pay for them?

A. The law allows physicians and institutions to charge no more than 75 cents a page for paper copies of medical records. Physicians may charge the actual reproduction costs for radiographic materials, such as X-rays or mammogram. However, an individual cannot be denied access to information solely because he or she is unable to pay.
Maybe your wifes records include X-Ray's that they can't photcopy? Maybe that's why the price seems high?
 

Rain

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Maybe your wifes records include X-Ray's that they can't photcopy?
Xrays come with written summary reports. That would be what you'd get with "medical records." It is very unlikely you'd get an actual xray or a copy thereof.
 

MikeAlletto

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Your medical records do not belong to you. They belong to the institution where you had the work done. I can't remember the price but to pull a patients paper chart out of the archives takes a certain amount of money. It really depends upon the hospital or clinic. Sometimes if its stored electronically they'll just print it off for you. Other times they have to make a legal copy of the entire record and that costs more.

A dentist or clinic is totally different from a hospital. You wouldn't believe how much paperwork is involved for just one patient and how much trouble it is to pull that patients record if its not electronic.
 

Brian Perry

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I think $15 is reasonable. There is some cost involved in storing, retrieving, and copying the records and it makes sense that there would be a nominal charge.
 

Julian Reville

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Aug 29, 1999
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Most states allow the charging of a fee for copying records.

I usually give them away free, as collecting a few dollars from people for this seems to generate a lot of ill will.
 

Angelo.M

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  • First, a patient does not "own" his or her medical record. They are entitled to access it, and to have copies made from it, but it belongs to the institution which maintains it.
  • Second, institutions can charge for copying medical records for a patient. If a certain page limit is exceeded, I must charge for it according to the requirements of my institution.
  • Third, I recommend that my patients do NOT review their medical record without my assistance or the assistance of another physician.
  • The most recent HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Acountability Act) guidelines have not altered any of the above.
 

Ryan Wright

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Third, I recommend that my patients do NOT review their medical record without my assistance or the assistance of another physician.
Now this really intrigues me. Why do you do this? Don't you trust people to make decisions for themselves? I refuse to see doctors who think they know what's best for me. Any decision on medical issues will be made by ME, thank you very much. The doctor is there to inform me and perform the procedure, not to make my decisions...

Thank you to everyone for your replies. We paid the $15.
 

MarkHastings

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Now this really intrigues me. Why do you do this? Don't you trust people to make decisions for themselves? I refuse to see doctors who think they know what's best for me. Any decision on medical issues will be made by ME, thank you very much. The doctor is there to inform me and perform the procedure, not to make my decisions...
Sorry if it sounds like I'm coming down on all your answers, but I don't think Angelo meant that you aren't allowed to make your own decisions. Reviewing the records with a doctor or nurse is a good suggestion. I don't think it's good practice to allow patients to self-diagnose.
 

BrianB

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Now this really intrigues me. Why do you do this? Don't you trust people to make decisions for themselves? I refuse to see doctors who think they know what's best for me. Any decision on medical issues will be made by ME, thank you very much. The doctor is there to inform me and perform the procedure, not to make my decisions...
I think you answered your own question there - "inform me". Knowledge on its own can be a dangerous thing, and I think having an informed expert on hand to walk you through your records would be a good thing. I don't think Angelo meant you shouldn't have access to your records - I think he means more that having a doctor there would give you the chance to ask questions rightaway.

I can see the appeal/need for it not to be your regular doctor in some cases though.
 

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