Legal Question in Health Care Law in California

You are entitlted to a copy of your records

California Health & Safety Code Section 123100 et seq. establishes a patient's right to see and receive copies of his or her medical records, under specific conditions and/or requirements as shown below. The law only addresses the patient's request for copies of his or her own medical records and does not cover a patient's request to transfer records between healthcare providers or to provide the records to an insurance company or an attorney. The request to transfer medical records is considered a matter of "professional courtesy" and is not covered by law. No statutes cover record transfers and there is no set protocol for transferring records between providers. Generally, physicians will transfer records without charging a fee; however, some doctors do charge a fee associated with copying and mailing the paperwork. Physicians will require a patient to sign a records release form to transfer records.

The patient or patient's representative is entitled to copies of all or any portion of his or her records that he or she has a right to inspect, upon written request to the physician. The physician may charge a fee to defray the cost of copying, not to exceed 25 cents per page or 50 cents per page for records that are copied from microfilm, along with reasonable clerical costs. By law, a patient's records are defined as records relating to the health history, diagnosis, or condition of a patient, or relating to treatment provided or proposed to be provided to the patient. Physicians must provide patients with copies within 15 days of receipt of the request.