Managing Your Medical Records and Health Insurance Receipts

How do I get copies of my medical records?

You have a legal right to get copies of your medical records. This is called "right to access". It includes electronic and print records.

Getting copies of your medical records has gotten easier as most health care organizations and providers now use electronic health records (EHR). EHRs let you log into a secure web portal (patient portal) to see and sometimes print your own records.

The main types of electronic records are:

Electronic health records (EHRs) are managed by the health care organization or provider. More than one organization may use the same system, but each will have its own access point. If you see providers in more than one organization who use the same system, you may be able to share your information between these organizations. This is not the case if health care organizations use different systems.

Electronic medical records (EMRs) are used by medical offices to hold the medical information for the people they provide care to. You are not usually able to access the information in an EMR.

If your medical office or clinic doesn’t provide electronic access to their EMR, you can request copies of your medical records. You will probably need to request them in writing, and many offices have their own form for this. You might also be charged a fee.  

Personal health records (PHRs) are used by individuals to manage their own health information. PHRs might be part of a health care provider’s EHR. Or you can choose to use a separate electronic app to store and manage your personal health records.

When should I request or make copies of my medical records?

It's best to get copies of your medical records during or soon after cancer treatment. It can be harder to get your medical records later. If you don’t know how to get copies of your medical records, or if you are having trouble, ask your cancer care team for help.

If you have trouble getting copies of your medical records before you finish treatment, that's okay. The next health care provider you see can request them. To protect your privacy, you will likely need to give your permission to get your records.

Having your own copy of your medical records can also be helpful if your health care provider’s office, practice, or hospital closes or is taken over by another group. When this happens, it can sometimes be hard to get access to your records.

In addition, medical records only need to be kept for a certain length of time. State laws require that records be kept for at least 7 years. But if you need your records after this time, they might no longer be available. 

What if my doctor’s office, practice, or hospital closes or gets taken over by another group?

You might need to get copies of medical records from a health care provider who is no longer practicing or whose office or hospital has closed or been taken over by another group.

If you were still seeing the provider when their office closed or they left the practice, you should have received a letter telling you who to contact for your medical records. Or, you might still have access to an electronic health record (EHR) or electronic medical record (EMR).

If you didn’t get a letter and you don’t have access to an EHR or EMR, there are some steps you could take.

• If the health care provider’s practice is still open, contact them to see if they have access to your medical records or know where you can get them.
• If the practice or hospital was taken over by another organization, contact that organization.
• See if there is another health care provider in the same location who might have information to help you.
• Search for your health care provider online to see whether they are practicing at a different location.
• Contact the state or local medical society to see if they have contact information for your health care provider or someone who took over the practice.
• Contact your insurance company to see if they have information about how you could contact the health care provider.

If those steps don’t work, you could reach out to your insurance company to see if you can access claims that might provide information about health problems. You could also reach out to testing facilities for imaging or blood testing results.

How should I keep copies of my medical records?

Many people prefer to keep printed copies of their medical records. That way they can share copies with a new health care provider. Other people like to keep their medical records electronically, either as files on their computer, tablet, or phone, on other electronic devices, or in a personal health record (PHR).

No matter how you store your medical records, be sure that they are kept private and secure in a safe place to protect your personal information. You might also want to give copies to your spouse, partner, caregiver, or another trusted person in case you can’t get to yours.

Personal health information in an EHR is protected by federal laws to make sure it is kept private and secure.