As part of our practice we are constantly ordering medical records from doctors and hospitals. In that process it is amazing to see how many times these health care providers charge illegal and excessive rates for copies of a patient’s own medical records. Sometimes they try to charge a flat fee of $50.00 or more for just a few pages of records, or they charge hundreds of dollars for copies of xray films that costs a fraction of that amount, or they will charge $25.00 dollars or more for a copy of the bill.
Florida consumers should know that they have a right to complete copies of medical records and diagnostic films. Further, the charges for these patient records are regulated and cannot exceed certain amounts set as part of Florida law.
Hospital records:
Regulated by Florida Statutes Section 395.3025. Charges may not exceed $1.00 per page for paper records, and $2.00 per page for non-paper records. Handling charges are limited to sales tax and actual postage. They may charge a search fee of $1.00 for each year of records requested.
Physician Records:
Regulated by Florida Administrative Code. Charges capped at $1.00 per page for the first 25 pages and $.25 for each additional page They may only charge the actual cost of copies of nonwritten records such as x-rays.
We refuse to pay illegal charges in excess of the statutory limits. You should too. If you need help, please call because, frankly, at $1.00 per page don’t you think they can afford to follow the law?
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