Q: Can a clinic charge for medical records?
Hand delivered, with a signature, 68 requests for patient’s medical records, 12 weeks later we have not heard anything. Wrote an email and received a reply requesting $400 for the records. Is this legal?
A: A Tennessee attorney could advise best, but your post remains open for two weeks. As a general matter nationwide, medical offices or their chart management vendors do charge fees for medical records. If the file is small, some offices provide free records as a courtesy. There are public health codes nationwide (governed by state law) that establish limits on how much can be charged per page, as well as restricting certain charges that offices may not impose, such as retrieval or search fees. Check with Tennessee laws or a Tennessee attorney if there are applicable guidelines in your state that could help save you money. You could be asked to provide a HIPAA authorization; that's something offices will typically request when providing medical records. Good luck
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