All About Accessing Your UW Medical Records

Accessing your medical records can be time-consuming and confusing. Nearly every hospital and clinic has its process for processing and transferring records, making it difficult to get all your records to a single location. Many patients and clients are left frustrated when trying to access UW medical records.

Fortunately, DoNotPay made it easy to retrieve your medical from UW with our Request Medical Records product. Or, if you wish to get your records on your own, you can follow our helpful how-to guide below.

Why Might I Need Medical Records From UW?

There are several reasons why you might need your UW medical records.

• Changing Doctors - Should you change doctors due to having a new insurance plan, moving, or are simply unhappy with your current doctor, you will want to have your records sent to your new doctor.
• Seeing a new specialist - If you are getting treatment from a specialist outside of the UW Medicine system, they will likely need to know your medical history.
• Keeping your family informed - Many health conditions are genetic, and sharing that information with your family can be beneficial.
• Entering an assisted living facility - Most assisted living facilities will want to know your medical history so they can provide the best care.
• HIPAA - Your medical records are guaranteed to be private under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996. While this is great for privacy, it can make it hard for doctors to exchange medical information about patients.

How to Request Medical Records From UWMyChart

1. MyChart (formerly known as eCare) is the online digital portal that stores medical records within the UW Medicine system. Before March 27, 2021, UW Medicine used multiple portals. Since then, all portals have migrated to MyChart. 428 companies use MyChart to manage digital medical records.
2. If you've never used MyChart or eCare before, you will need to create a new account with them.
3. After accessing your MyChart account, you can easily access all your records stored within UW Medicine.
4. It may take 30 days for new records to be uploaded to your MyChart account.
5. It may take 15 days to process your request for viewing or transferring your medical records on MyChart.

By Mail

1. You will need to complete a "Patient Authorization to Disclose, Release, and/or Obtain Protected Health Information" form.
2. On this form, you will designate who the records are for (self, insurance company, physician, etc.)
3. Allow 15 business days for processing.

If you received care at Eastside Specialty Center, Hall Health Center, Harborview Medical Center, UW Medical Center – Montlake, UW Medical Center – Roosevelt, UW Medicine Primary Care, UW Medical Center – Northwest, then you will need to send your request to:

325 Ninth Ave.

Box 359738

Seattle, WA 98104

You may also drop off the form at the address below for quicker processing:

Patricia Bracelin Steel Building

401 Broadway, Second floor

Seattle, WA 98122

If you received care at Valley Medical Center, you must mail to:

400 S. 43rd St.

PO Box 50010

Renton, WA 98055

By Fax

1. Patients will need to fill out a "Patient Authorization to Disclose, Release, and/or Obtain Protected Health Information" form.
2. On this form, you will indicate who the records are for (insurance company, self, physician, etc.)
3. All facilities except for UW Medical Center – Northwest and Valley Medical Center should fax to 206-744-9997.
4. Patients of UW Medical Center – Northwest should fax to 206-668-1920
5. Patients of Valley Medical Center should fax to 425-690-9407

Does UW Medicine Charge for Medical Records Transfers?

• There is no charge for accessing your records if the purpose is for continuity of care. Examples include transferring records to another doctor, clinic, hospital, or other medical services.
• Other reasons to access records do come with a cost.
• You can access the complete cost table online.

Problems With Accessing Your Medical Records From UW Medicine

• UW has made changes to its medical record access in the past few years, often confusing patients.
• Accessing medical records by mail or fax can feel extremely bureaucratic.
• DoNotPay can help

How to Access Your UW Medicine Records With DoNotPay

DoNotPay knows how frustrating it can be working with medical bureaucracies. For that reason, we created a simplified way to access medical records. Follow these three easy steps to get started:

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.

And that's it! DoNotPay will take care of the rest for you.

DoNotPay Can Do Much More Than Just Accessing Medical Records From UW Medicine

Aside from UW medical records, we can also assist you with the following inquiries:

Helping you request medical records is only a drop in the bucket of our services. These are just a few examples of how we can advocate for you:

• How to report a hotel for unsanitary conditions
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