Medical Records – Your Frequently Asked Questions, Answered!
Medical records are essentially a record of your entire medical history. From birth on, doctors track your visits from diagnostic tests and vitals to their specific notes. The concept of medical records seems simple, but there are many nuances that can quickly become confusing. Thankfully, Datafied is here to help answer your questions. Keep reading to get the answers about your frequently asked questions about medical records!
Q: Am I guaranteed access to my medical records?
A: Yes! Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, you are guaranteed access to your medical records. In fact, the Privacy Rule states that you must be given access to copies of your medical records from your physician or medical practice.
Q: What if I notice an error in my medical records?
A: If there is an error on your medical records, you are allowed to request an amendment. How this process goes depends on the amendment and your physician. It can often be as simple as letting the doctor know that something was recorded incorrectly so they can make the change. However, it isn’t always that easy. Sometimes you need to write the correction exactly as you think it should be noted, date, initial it, and send it to your provider. For more complicated errors, you may need to write a letter outlining why the medical records are wrong.
Q: Can I be charged for copies of my medical records?
A: Yes, you can be charged for copies of your medical records. However, the physician or medical provider can only charge you a “reasonable amount” for the materials, labor, and shipping costs that are required to make copies of your medical records.
Q: How can I obtain copies of my medical records?
A: If you need to obtain copies of your medical records there is a long way and a short way. The long way involves calling your doctor to make the request, driving around town to pick it up, waiting on hold, waiting in line, and dealing with a lot of frustration. The short way just involves letting Datafied do it for you!
Contact Datafied today for help obtaining copies of your medical records!
Medical records are pretty simple in concept—they detail your entire medical history—but when it comes time to deal with them first hand, confusion can arise. You have physicians charging you or dragging their feet when you request copies and doctors that often ignore mistakes that you point out. Thankfully, you have Datafied as an ally when it comes to obtaining medical records. You simply submit your medical record request to us and let our experienced document retrieval specialists track down the records for you! Give us a call at 800-765-7510 today or submit your request online to get started.
To learn more about the variety of document retrieval and management services that we offer beyond medical record retrieval, visit us on the web at Datafied!
