$45 to obtain physical medical record; fair?

[Anonymous]

My OB/GYN retired and her files went to another. I went to go get them and was charged $45. I thought that I was paying for a copy and thus paying for the labor of photocopying. However, I obtained a physical file that was just that : the physical file of my last ob/gyn and no copy of my EHR. Now I think I got cheated. Fair? What am I missing?

[Anonymous]

There have been some lawsuits around this practice. It's ok to charge under HIPAA, however it's not cool for them to charge excessively.

http://m.healthcareitnews.com/news/hospitals-slapped-lawsuit-medical-records-overcharging

[Anonymous]

That's scandalous.

[Anonymous]

Atrocious. They charged you for simply having a file handed over?

[Anonymous]

I have paid $10.00. The fee they charged is really high but they probably bought out the old practice?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There have been some lawsuits around this practice. It's ok to charge under HIPAA, however it's not cool for them to charge excessively.

http://m.healthcareitnews.com/news/hospitals-slapped-lawsuit-medical-records-overcharging

Hilarious line in the middle of the story about Healthport defending their fees by saying they worked with KPMG to set them.

[Anonymous]

that's outrageous. However I've been asking for my medical records for weeks and I can't even get a call back so I'm willing to pay $100 at this point.

[Anonymous]

No. take your own flash drive. The medical record belongs to you. They can only charge for actual costs (copying, staff x, discs), but this is not enforced.
Medical providers hate it when patients ask for copies of records as they know it can end up in evidence.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. take your own flash drive. The medical record belongs to you. They can only charge for actual costs (copying, staff x, discs), but this is not enforced.
Medical providers hate it when patients ask for copies of records as they know it can end up in evidence.

Um, patients "own" their medical records in only two states. http://www.healthinfolaw.org/comparative-analysis/who-owns-medical-records-50-state-comparison

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. take your own flash drive. The medical record belongs to you. They can only charge for actual costs (copying, staff x, discs), but this is not enforced.
Medical providers hate it when patients ask for copies of records as they know it can end up in evidence.

Um, patients "own" their medical records in only two states. http://www.healthinfolaw.org/comparative-analysis/who-owns-medical-records-50-state-comparison

You sent us to a site that requires one to give name, organization, and email before anything can be viewed. Interesting assertion and would like to see the back up but it should be from an open site.

[Anonymous]

My OBGYN just charged me $50 to have my records transferred to another doc.

[Anonymous]

The part of OP's story I find incredulous is that the records were transferred from another doctor first. Presumably the new doctor paid for the record from the original doctor... But still, I have no business relationship with you, but you bought my info from someone else? Now I have to pay to get my records?

[Anonymous]

At least you got the records....I had a doctor who refused to send my record -- legally they had to. It was an ugly situation, though, involving probable malpractice. (specifics were misdiagnosed angina after treating me for very cholesterol and diabetes for 12 years).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The part of OP's story I find incredulous is that the records were transferred from another doctor first. Presumably the new doctor paid for the record from the original doctor... But still, I have no business relationship with you, but you bought my info from someone else? Now I have to pay to get my records?

OP again. I paid the fee.

What really annoyed me is that I did not get notice from my Ob/Gyn of her closing her practice. She apparently only sent notice to her ob patients and at the time she closed, I was not one of them.

Irritating but I am glad that I have them. It's a year of thyroid test results in there that I"m really interested in. It's also interesting to see the birth notes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. take your own flash drive. The medical record belongs to you. They can only charge for actual costs (copying, staff x, discs), but this is not enforced.
Medical providers hate it when patients ask for copies of records as they know it can end up in evidence.

Um, patients "own" their medical records in only two states. http://www.healthinfolaw.org/comparative-analysis/who-owns-medical-records-50-state-comparison

Patients don't own their record in DC, but under HIPAA, medical providers are required to provide to patients upon request.