How to Access Your Medical Records From Gwinnett Medical Center

One of the main reasons why the Health Insurance and Portability Act (HIPAA) exists, is to ensure the privacy of a person's medical/health status. Of course, another important component of HIPAA is to guarantee every person the right to access their own medical records.

If you need to request your medical records but are unsure about how to get the process started, DoNotPay wants to help you!

Whether you need help in locating your Northside from a stay in their hospital, or if you need access from one of their affiliates such as the Gwinnett Extended Care Center, or the Northside Gwinnett Joan Glancy Rehabilitation Center, DoNotPay is here to answer all your questions. Not only are we ready with all the answers, we've also designed an online instrument that cuts through all the red tape and hassle associated with trying to gain access to one's .

Ready to learn more? Let's get started!

You Have Rights

The Health Insurance and Portability Act (HIPAA) has been in place for many years. One of the main purposes behind the passage of the act was to empower individuals, by both protecting their privacy and granting them access to their own medical records in order to view, use, distribute, etc., as they see fit. In other words, HIPAA exists to put patients back in the driver's seat when it comes to who has primary control over their medical information.

Unfortunately, as with many other government bureaucracies and corporate entities, far too often, the "little guy" (in this case, the patient) tends to get overlooked. Patients may have a general understanding that they do have a right to see their own , but they don't always know how to access those records.

Common Questions Associated With Obtaining Medical Records

How Long Does It Take to Get Medical Records?	Health care providers have between 30 and 60 days to fulfill your request, although in many cases you may have your request fulfilled even sooner. Still, you may want to contact a provider to discuss their average turnaround time, then make sure you make your request well enough in advance of any deadlines you may have.
Can I Still Get Access to Old Medical Records?	By law, medical providers are required to keep your records on file for 6 years after a date of service. If they retire or leave a practice, the provider is legally obligated to make provisions to maintain this 6 year window. You can learn more about getting access to your old medical records here.

I'm Too Busy to Ask For My Medical Records - Is There Another Way I Can Have Access to Them?

Thanks to electronic health records and patient portals, many health care providers are already providing an avenue for patients to get quick access to their own medical data. After creating an online account with your hospital or physician's office, you'll be granted access to information that may include:

Your recent lab results
Notes from a recent visit with your doctor
A list of medications prescribed to you
A list of your known allergies
A summary of a recent hospital discharge

You'll be able to both view this information, or print it out, so you can take it with you to another provider that you'd like to see. In many cases, the information you find through your patient portal is sufficient enough, so you'll be able to bypass the 30-60 day wait that may occur with traditional medical record access.

Let DoNotPay Help You Get Your Medical Records

Remember, you have a right to your medical records and it shouldn't be a hassle to request your own medical records from any provider of medical care. This is why we have done the work for you by developing a super simple way for you to request your medical records from any medical provider.

If you need access to more of your medical data than a patient portal allows, here's all you need to do:

Look up medical records on DoNotPay’s website.
Enter the name of the health care provider you’d like to receive medical records from.
Answer a few questions about your provider and where you’d like to send the records.

That's it! We will send a letter to notify your old health care provider of your request to transfer your medical records to another provider. Our letter will simply, but clearly, list all the information your old health care provider needs in order to fulfill your request.

How DoNotPay Can Help You in Other Ways

The medical rights guaranteed by HIPAA encompass not only local hospitals in your area, but they also apply to hospitals, physicians, medical centers, etc. across the country. If you need specialized care at one of the top medical centers in the country, DoNotPay can help you get access to your medical records, regardless of where your care takes place. Some of the more notable medical institutions we can help you with include:

In addition to providing you with an easy way to obtain your own medical records, DoNotPay can help you with other hard-to research tasks such as: