How to Request Ingalls Memorial Hospital Medical Records Online

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How to Request Ingalls Memorial Hospital Medical Records with DoNotPay

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) exists to both protect your sensitive medical information and ensure that you have fair access to it. If you need a copy of your , you may find that the dual function of HIPAA laws poses challenges. Although you're legally entitled to this data, clinics, hospitals, and healthcare professionals have very specific processes for authorizing their release. These measures are taken to ensure regulatory compliance. For instance, to access your Ingalls medical records, you'll need to submit a written request.

Like many patients, you may receive care at multiple locations. It's not uncommon for consumers to have a primary care doctor at one facility, specialty doctors with their privacy practices, and alternative medicine practitioners such as naturopaths or chiropractors at others. Moreover, each location and provider can have their own requirements for requesting medical forms. Fortunately, you can always rely on DoNotPay to simplify this process. DoNotPay can draft and submit medical records requests on your behalf. You can also rely on DoNotPay to get answers to questions like, "How long are my medical records kept?", "How do I request my medical records?", and "What are my HIPAA rights?". As the world's first AI Consumer Champion and a valuable source of legal, medical, and financial information, DoNotPay has got you covered. With the DoNotPay Request Medical Records product, taking charge of your health is easy.

Getting Electronic Copies of Your Medical Records

Medical records were once documented in physical files that were manually transported from office to office. Given the vast range of security vulnerabilities that physical documents are subject to, medical records are now stored electronically. There are, in fact, three types of medical records that a patient can have:

  1. PHRs or personal health records
  2. EMRs or electronic medical records
  3. EHRs or electronic health records

Many health plans have special websites that patients can use to maintain their own PHRs. This is information that you can upload as a means for tracking your healthcare and medical treatments, and for informing any new providers that you work with. This data can always be accessed by logging onto the secure portal that your health plan has supplied. Your EMRs are notes and other documents that your primary doctor or other provider has stored on their computer. EMRs cannot usually be shared with other hospitals, clinics, or facilities. Conversely, your EHRs detail the full range of care you've received, documented illnesses, past and current treatments, and more. To obtain your EHRs, you will always need to submit a medical records request.

Several Reasons Why You May Need a Copy of Your Medical Records

HIPAA laws protect patient access to medical records in the interest of ensuring that people can successfully manage and monitor their own health and healthcare. You may need to request a copy of your medical records from Ingalls Memorial Hospital if:

  • You intend to start receiving care elsewhere
  • You wish to keep your family informed of your health in case of an emergency
  • You're currently doing your end-of-life planning
  • You have chronic or progressive health issues or life-threatening allergies or other conditions
  • You have filed a malpractice claim or a personal injury claim

How Much Does It Cost to Get Medical Records from Ingalls Memorial Hospital?

Ingalls Memorial Hospital does not charge patients to transfer their medical records to other healthcare providers. There is also no charge for patients requesting copies of their own medical records. However, third-party requests will be charged at a rate of $1.11 per page.

Which Medical Record Types Are Restricted from Being Released?

Despite the provisions and protections of HIPAA laws, there are certain medical records that you do not have access to. This remains true even if you believe this information is essential for structuring your healthcare, informing your medical decisions, or supporting a malpractice or personal injury claim. This is data that's restricted from being released. It includes any psychotherapy notes made by a mental health care provider and any information recorded in the anticipation of:

  • Criminal action
  • Civil action
  • Administrative action

How to Get Medical Records from Ingalls Memorial Hospital on Your Own

In general, when you're interested in learning how to get medical records from any provider or facility, it's best to contact Patient Services. At Ingalls Memorial Hospital, there's a dedicated department for medical records requests. This is the Health Information Management Department. You can contact this department directly to get answers to your questions about authorizing a medical records release or setting privacy restrictions. However, all formal requests for records will need to be made in writing.

Contact Information for the Ingalls Memorial Hospital Medical Records Department

Address:UChicago Ingalls Memorial Hospital

c/o The Health Information Management Department

Cancer Center Lower Level

1 Ingalls Drive

Harvey, IL 60426

Phone:708-915-6201

Submitting Your Medical Records Request

Ingalls Memorial Hospital has its own authorization form that you can download and complete.

  1. Fill out the authorization form
  2. Verify that the provided information is accurate and true
  3. Sign and date the authorization form
  4. Mail it to the Health Information Management Department

If you have any questions while completing this process, you can contact the Ingalls Memorial Hospital Health Information Management Dept. directly to get answers.

Who Can Request Medical Records on Behalf of Patients at Ingalls Memorial Hospital?

Just as there are many reasons why you might request your own medical records, there are also times when you may need access to these documents for others. However, in the interest of protecting patients' privacy rights, there are firm restrictions on who can request this data on behalf of others. The only parties that can submit an authorization form for medical records release on behalf of someone else are:

  • Estate representatives
  • Individuals with power of attorney
  • Parents of minors
  • Parents and minors together for patients between the age of 12 and 17
  • Legal guardians with valid proof of guardianship

How to Transfer Medical Records to Ingalls Memorial Hospital

The process for transferring medical records to Ingalls Memorial Hospital is much the same as having Ingalls Memorial Hospital transfer your records to another provider. You will need to contact the entity holding your records and submit a verbal or written request. Remember, each facility may have its own specific requirements for authorization. These requirements can be obtained from any dedicated Records Management Departments or by contacting Patient Services. When drafting your medical records release form, be sure to include:

  • All of the needed personally-identifying information
  • The exact name of the facility you want your records transferred to
  • Your reason for requesting a records transfer
  • Any limitations or restrictions you want to be imposed on the information being shared

Get Your Medical Records from Ingalls Memorial Hospital with the Help of DoNotPay

If you have a hard time downloading and completing the Ingalls Memorial Hospital medical records authorization form, you can always count on DoNotPay to handle the task for you. It takes Ingalls Memorial approximately seven to 14 days to complete these requests. If you need help expediting your approval, let the world's first AI Consumer Champion get the job done.

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 Works across All Companies, Groups, and Entities with One Click

DoNotPay can handle your medical records requests for all providers and facilities that you work with. The Request Medical Records product works across all groups, companies, and entities with one click. Thus, not only can you use DoNotPay to gain access to your , but you can also use it to get your:

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