How to Get Your Medical Records from Covenant Health in Lubbock, Texas

Although the medical facilities in and around Lubbock, Texas, have been in existence since 1918, Covenant Health only began operations in 2016 as a result of the Providence and St. Joseph Health merger. Its primary facilities include Covenant Medical Center and Covenant Children's Hospital. The Medical Center began as the Lubbock Sanitarium in 1918 and the children's hospital was St. Mary of the Plains Hospital founded in 1939.

If you have received medical care in the greater Lubbock area, chances are you were treated at a Covenant Health facility or by a Covenant Health physician. If you need your Covenant Health medical records, you will need to contact the Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock.

Why Would You Want a Copy of Your Covenant Medical Records?

The federal Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) gives you the right to access most of your health records. You can request copies of your medical records for personal reasons or for specific or medical issues such as:

1. Wanting a second opinion
2. Seeing a specialist
3. Filing an insurance claim
4. Changing primary care provider

If you are considering filing a lawsuit, you might need medical records sent to your attorney.

Can Covenant Health Charge for Medical Records?

Yes. However, the Texas Medical Board has set the maximum allowable charges as a reasonable, cost-based fee using the following guidelines:

• Paper Copies. $25.00 for the first 20 pages and $0.50 for each page after the first 20 pages.
• Electronic Format. $25.00 for 500 pages or less and $50.00 for more than 500 pages.
• Diagnostic Images. $8.00 per copy.
• Affidavit of Authenticity. $15.00

Texas Law allows a reasonable fee for actual costs of supplies, labor, and postage. Depending on the age of the records, some may be in electronic form while others may be paper copies. The charge for these hybrid records must be a reasonable fee for actual costs. Retrieval fees are not allowed.

Does Covenant Health Restrict Release of Medical Records?

Covenant Health does not release information on the following unless specifically requested by patients or their representatives.

1. Treatment for alcohol or substance use
2. Test results for HIV/AIDS screening
3. Mental Health Treatment

Personal notes of a mental healthcare professional are considered the property of the healthcare professional and are not subject to HIPAA.

Who Can Request Medical Records from Covenant Health?

Texas law states that medical records must be released if:

• A patient requests medical records
• A custodial parent requests medical records.
• The executor of the deceased patient requests medical records and has documentation confirming the estate's executor.
• The guardian of a patient declared incompetent requests release accompanied by documentation.
• Third-parties may request medical records on behalf of a client for non-litigation purposes, provided release authorization is signed by the patient.

Subpoena requests for the release of information must include patient-signed authorization unless the request is part of a criminal proceeding. The subpoena must be signed by a judge.

How to Request Medical Records from Covenant Health

All requests for the release of medical records must be sent to Covenant Health at the following address:

The release form entitled Authorization to Use and Disclose Protected Health Information may be downloaded from the website.

Once you have downloaded and printed the release form, use the following steps to complete and return the request.

1. Enter the physician's name or facility where treated.
2. Indicate the dates of treatment.
3. Initial any restricted documents you want to be included.
4. Sign the document.
5. Include any required documentation.
6. Return to Covenant Health Medical Records.

Covenant Health has 15 days from receipt of request and fees to provide the requested medical records. If the provider denies the request, Covenant Health must respond within 15 days, indicating why the request was denied.

How to Request Medical Records Using DoNotPay:

Let DoNotPay's online service save you time by requesting your medical records for you. Just use the following three steps to start your request.

1. Look up medical records on DoNotPay’s website.

2. Enter the name of the health care provider you’d like to receive medical records from.

3. Answer a few questions about your provider and where you’d like to send the records.

DoNotPay can request medical records from healthcare providers nationwide. They can ask for records from the Cleveland Clinic, Mercy, Kaiser Permanente, and Baptist.

DoNotPay's online service can help with other medical issues. Their service can help you request sick leave or draft advance healthcare directives. All it takes is a visit to their website.

What Else Can DoNotPay Do to Help You Out Now?

DoNotPay can help with more than medical or healthcare concerns. The service can help with such daily requests as:

• Requesting a Birth Certificate
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If you're tired of wasting time and money filing paperwork, let DoNotPay do it for you. There's no need to stress because your do list is always growing. DoNotPay's online service is there to help.