This bill provides that a hospital or its vendor, in making and providing a paper copy of a patient's medical record and additions to the medical record, may assess reasonable fees as charges to the requesting person, and the hospital or its vendor may require payment prior to responding to the request. A charge to a 3rd party receiving a paper copy of a patient's medical record may not exceed $20 for validating the request documents and locating the medical record and 45¢ for each page of the medical record, up to a maximum of $250 for an entire medical record. A $20 fee may also be charged for providing a letter that states that the patient's medical record was not located. If a patient's medical record exists in a digital or electronic format, a hospital or its vendor must provide an electronic copy of the medical record if an electronic copy is requested and it is reasonably possible to provide it. The hospital or its vendor may assess as charges to a 3rd party receiving a medical record a fee not to exceed $20 for validating the request documents and locating the medical record and 45¢ for each page of the medical record to create or copy the medical record. A $20 fee may also be charged for providing a letter that states that the patient's medical record was not located. Charges assessed may not exceed $150. The bill also provides that whenever a health care practitioner or its vendor furnishes in paper form requested copies of a patient's treatment record or a medical report or an addition to a treatment record or medical report to a 3rd party, the charge for the copies of a patient's treatment record or the medical report may not exceed $20 for validating the request documents and locating the treatment record or medical report and 45¢ for each page of the treatment record or medical report, up to a maximum of $250 for the entire treatment record or medical report. A $20 fee may also be charged for providing a letter that states that a patient's treatment record or medical report was not located. If a treatment record or medical report exists in a digital or electronic format, the health care practitioner or its vendor must provide an electronic copy of the treatment record or medical report if an electronic copy is requested and it is reasonably possible to provide it. The health care practitioner or its vendor may assess as charges to a 3rd party receiving a patient's treatment record or a medical report a fee not to exceed $20 for validating the request documents and locating the patient records and 45¢ for each page of the treatment record or medical report. The $20 fee may also be charged for providing a letter that states that a patient's treatment record or medical report was not located. Charges assessed may not exceed $150.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 2151, HP 1375: 22.1711