Will I have a problem obtaining my husbands medical records from the hospital??

Question

Will I have a problem obtaining my husbands medical records from the hospital??

Answer 1

You don't mention the country. If it's the US I can help you. I used to be a Medical Records manager at a large Chicago hospital.

If he is still alive, he has to request the records in writing.

If he is dead, you need a copy of his death certificate (and it has to list you as his wife), a copy of your driver's license, and make a request in writing for the records. Many hospitals insist that you have the records sent to a doctor, but I don't believe it's actually a law. You have to be aware of a federal law called "HIPAA". It's the governing legislation on the issue. Here's a link to the master site which should help you.

http://www.hipaa.org/

The other question is how old are the records? If they're more than 10 years old, it's likely that they've been sent to off-site storage. It may take a while to get them. If it's more than 15-20 years, the records may have been destroyed. Each state is different in their retention laws, but after 15 years you can't be sure the records can be accessed again.

If you have any questions or need any help, feel free to drop me an email.

Answer 2

Need more info. If he's alive, yes you will have difficulty. Under HIPAA rules you can't get someone else's medical records. If he's deceased I suppose proof of marriage and a death certificate may produce them.

Answer 3

If he signs a 'release of information' form there should be no problem.  In any other situation, there are many variables.

Answer 4

you shouldn't