cost of getting a copy of medical records

[Anonymous]

I may not get any specific answers with this query, but I'll go ahead and ask. I'm at a clinic in another state (one of the RMAs if it helps) and considering switching to a local clinic here since this is where I live. They used to give one initial copy of records for free but have now changed policy to charge ~$1.50 per page for the first 20 pages and $1 per page for the next 40 pages and then something smaller after that. They won't tell me how many pages I have or what it would cost to transfer the records until they are all prepped and ready to send, which takes 10-15 business days.

Do clinics generally have a similar type of format for infertility records? If so, it one page per day of monitoring or stimming, or is it a summary sheet for the cycle with med dosages, bloodwork and u/s results, and retrieval/embryology results all kind of consolidated together? Could people tell me how many pages they had for different types of treatment so I can know what I'm up against for cost? I know it all depends on how many cycles you've done. If it helps to know, before I had my daughter a few years ago, I had 3 TI cycles and 3 pregnancies (2 miscarriages). Since then I've had all the typical tests again, several IUIs, and 4 IVFs (one pregnancy with miscarriage). I'm really just looking for a ballpark estimate here. Am I looking at 30 pages here, or 90+ pages, for example?

They say they can work with me to minimize the length and give me just what is pertinent, but I would think it all would be pertinent, right?

[Anonymous]

You only need the stuff from the last year or two, and copies of tests, stim sheets, and embryology reports. We moved to DC from Denver and had no issue getting records from CCRM, but I asked for those specifics things because their charges were ridiculous, and after my initial consultation I had to request one more report. I've been much happier with the clinic here, but still no BFP.

[Anonymous]

I would ask your current clinic what they want. Explain the cost issue. They might repeat some of the tests anyway... I imagine the most useful thing to them is the record of your IVF cycles because that shows how you responded to different dosages.

[Anonymous]

I paid 60$ for 1 BFN cycle worth of records to Shady Grove, just to give you a reference point. Going forward, I would really note the following: if you say "the whole record" - that includes many many pages of consent forms - yes, they sold my consent forms back to me even though I had my own copies. Never say "just copy the whole record".

Labs like Quest and Labcorp are required to give you a copy of lab results for free if you request it. So request away. Otherwise the fertility clinic will also sell those to you as well.

If you had records from other doctors sent to your clinic (from PCP, endo, any specialis) - request to specifically exclude them, because - yes, you guessed it, they will otherwise sell them to you.

[Anonymous]

I'm glad I asked this question! Thanks for the helpful replies. I will definitely not request the whole record now!