Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
Know Rules For Patient Access To Records
Question: I want to see my medical records — why do I not have access to them?
Answer: The patient should be able to review his medical records at any time he requests them, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says in its “Patients’ Bill of Rights in Medicare and Medicaid.”
“Patients have the right to review and copy their own medical records, and request amendments to their records,” the agency says. In addition, your practice can charge the patient “reasonable, cost-based fees” if they want copies of the records, but any fees you charge should cover the cost of the copies (supplies and labor) and, if applicable, postage for mailing the copies. However, you can’t charge the patient for any costs associated with searching for or retrieving the charts, according to the Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Information Privacy website.
Resource: To read more about the rules for patient access to medical records, visit www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/faq/right_to_access_medical_records/353.html.
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