How to Request Medical Records In a Flash

If you see more than one doctor, remembering what treatments you've received can be a nightmare. Or if you're fighting with an insurance company, requesting Social Security, or applying for Worker's Compensation, having your health information available is a must. You know you should request medical records, but how do you go about doing so?

Making sense of complicated paperwork as well as HIPAA laws is enough to make anyone nervous. But giving up on getting your medical records isn't an option either. What can you do? Your best bet is to contact DoNotPay for assistance.

HIPAA Laws: Your Key to Accessing Your Own Personal Health Information

Provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are spelled out in 45 CFR § 164.524. HIPAA requires medical institutions to safeguard Protected Health Information (PHI) and also ensures other rights. Under HIPAA, you are authorized to:

• Inspect your own medical records
• Obtain a copy of your health records
• Have a copy transmitted to another provider

Why Do I Need Copies of My Medical Records?

There are plenty of reasons to seek out your medical records. You may want to obtain a copy if any of the following apply:

• You are seeing more than one provider and need to ensure each one is informed about your other treatments

• You've recently switched physicians

• You are filing a disability claim

• You're considering or have filed a personal injury lawsuit

• Your insurance company has refused payment and you are looking to file an appeal

The above are all valid reasons for requesting medical records. However, you actually don't need a reason at all. If you want to obtain your health care records "just in case", DoNotPay can assist you with that as well.

Is There a Cost Involved With Obtaining Medical Records?

There can be a cost associated with obtaining medical records. That cost can vary by state; however, some typical costs and their associated fees are as follows:

Of course, the above is just a guideline. Accordingly, you should always check with the institution for an exact fee schedule.

Typical Methods of Requesting Medical Records

If you decide to ask for your medical records, there are several ways you can go about it. Below are a few methods, along with the pros and cons of each.

By Mail or Email

Submit a written request to the medical records director by mail or email. Include the following information:

• Full name
• Date of birth
• Social Security Number
• Type(s) of records being requested
• Date of services (or a date range)
• Contact information (phone, mailing address, email address)
• Signature

There can be a long wait involved with mailed or emailed requests. Written correspondence can sometimes go missing, and emails can also get buried in someone's spam box. You won't necessarily know when someone has received your request, so you will need to follow up with a phone call.

In-Person

Visiting a provider's office in person is one way to ensure your request isn't lost in the mail. Drop by during normal business hours to deliver your request or fill out the appropriate paperwork. In some cases, you may be able to take your documents home with you.

An in-person visit offers better results, but it isn't always convenient. There's gas, parking, and tolls to consider, not to mention the fact that you must go during normal business hours. And it's practically impossible if you have moved and are no longer close to the provider.

Via an App or Online Portal

Many hospitals have online portals or apps where patients can download their own electronic records. While this can be fast and easy, some information may not be included. For example, clinic notes, x-ray images, etc. are often omitted from electronic records. If such data is missing, you will have to submit another request in order to obtain it.

Through an Insurance Company or Another Provider

In some instances, you may be able to request your records through an insurance company or another provider. This is often the case when you are referred to a specialist.

Having someone else request medical records for you might sound convenient, but getting them to hand them over might not be. For this reason, asking a third party to intervene is not recommended-unless it's DoNotPay you are dealing with. We're not actually gathering your information and therefore have no reason to hold onto it. Our job is to streamline the process, which is something we do quite effectively.

Getting Medical Records Fast and Easy with Assistance From DoNotPay

When requesting medical records, dealing with all the hoops you must jump through is a nightmare. You're not finished once you make your request either. In many cases, you must continue following up, or else your request will get buried underneath a heap of others.

Those who are requesting their own health records generally have no time to wait. Previously there were few options other than to submit a request and then hope for the best. But with DoNotPay, you now have a better choice available.

How to request medical records using DoNotPay:

DoNotPay has seen these requests before and knows how to write your health care provider a simple, clear, and effective letter that will get your legally-guaranteed health records for you in no time.

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: Helping you Access Medical Records and a Whole Lot More

Here at DoNotPay, we can assist you with getting medical records from any hospital or clinic. So if you've been a patient at Cleveland Clinic, Mercy Hospital, or Baptist Hospital, our product will work much in the same way. However, we do a whole lot more than just assisting with Kaiser medical records. Just a few of our other services are listed below:

1. Establishing your own advance health care directive
2. Submitting a sick leave request to your employer
3. Reporting a bad landlord
4. Securing notary signatures
5. Lowering your property taxes

Contact DoNotPay Today and Stop Worrying About Your Medical Records

You don't have to feel overwhelmed by the prospect of asking for your medical records. Rather than worrying, contact DoNotPay so that we can help you get things going quickly.