How to Access Your Montefiore Medical Records

Whether you have a serious illness and need a second opinion, or if you simply want to review your to ensure their accuracy, under the Health Insurance and Portability Act (HIPAA), you have a right to access your medical records from any medical provider at any time. If you're having difficulty trying to access your , DoNotPay wants to help you cut through the red tape!

It Was Supposed to Be Easy

The decades-old Health Insurance and Portability Act were at least partially enacted to make an individual's medical records more accessible and portable. If a person moved to the other side of the country, HIPAA was supposed to make it easy and convenient to transfer one's personal medical records to another physician or medical institution. Unfortunately, many people find it increasingly difficult to request access to their medical records.

The Problem With Websites - Hospitals and other providers run increasingly complex organizations, and at least in terms of paperwork, the rights of patients tend to get lost in the shuffle. Just go to the website of the average hospital to try to find answers to a simple question and you'll likely end up frustrated after repeated searches to find a simple answer.
Phone Calls Are a Hassle - If you try to make a request for your medical records by phone, it's impossible for most people to find the Montefiore medical records phone number, so they'll resort to calling one of their main phone numbers. While some will have success if they're transferred to the right department, others are likely to get frustrated and hang up if they're transferred to the wrong department, or if they have to wait on hold too long.

Isn't there a better way? We think so!

DoNotPay Has the Answers

DoNotPay understands your frustration and wants to simplify the process of accessing your Montefiore hospital medical records as much as possible. Here are some of the solutions we've come up with:

Access the Montefiore patient portal - The advent of patient portals has made getting access to at least some of your medical records much easier. Sometimes a person simply wants to review their last lab work results for themselves, or perhaps they want to print out some test results so they can take them to another doctor for a second opinion.

Before going through the process of requesting all your medical records from one of the Montefiore hospitals or physicians, consider whether the information you want is listed on their patient portal. If you don't have an account through their portal, the simplest way to get started is to request an enrollment letter from your physician or the hospital's staff. Once you receive your enrollment letter, it will have a 15 digit activation code which you will use to create an account on the Montefiore patient portal site.

The DoNotPay Way - If you truly need access to all records associated with your Montefiore visits, and you don't want the hassle of trying to get them yourself.
DoNotPay has an easy solution for you! Simply follow a few instructions and we'll compose a clear, simple letter to your Montefiore care provider in order to make a request on your behalf.

It's as easy as following these few steps:

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.

And that is it. Give DoNotPay the basic information needed, then leave it to the robot lawyer.

Things You Need to Know About Medical Records Requests

We hope that our suggestions on how to access your medical records have helped simplify the process for you. Nevertheless, you may still have more questions about the entire process. We want to answer those questions as well!

Does it cost anything to request my medical records? How long does the process take?

By law, healthcare providers are allowed to charge patients a reasonable fee to request a copy of their medical records or to have them sent to another provider. In New York, fees are limited to 75 cents per page, actual mailing costs (if applicable), and actual costs for duplication of non-photocopiable materials.

There is no charge for original mammogram films, although postage may still apply. Once again, by law, providers have anywhere from 30 to 60 days to process your request, so if you can get the records you need from a patient portal, that's probably your best option.

What if I need my medical records from 10 years ago?

By law, medical providers are only legally required to maintain your records for 6 years (this may vary from state to state) from your date of service.

If a physician retires or sells their practice, they must make accommodations to maintain patient records for the same time frame.

Are there any circumstances where I may be denied access to medical records?

Yes, if the release of information could compel you to harm yourself or others, a provider could deny your request. Psychotherapy notes not included in your health record could be denied, as well as medical information compiled for use in a lawsuit. If you disagree with a denial you received from a care provider, you can file a complaint with the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Check with their Office of Civil Rights to file your complaint.

Additional Tips

Do you or someone you know need assistance in accessing medical records from a provider other than ? DoNotPay can help with this as well. Listed below are several other major medical institutions to whom we can send a request on your behalf: