Plaintiff Attorney Legal Information CenterBelow is a sample letter requesting medical records when all of your other requests have failed.
Patients have a legal right to get their medical records if they or their attorneys present a HIPAA compliant authorization to do so. Yet many Maryland health care providers make the process a lot harder than it should be.
When you can’t get medical records — particularly your own records — it is not hard to get very angry. But you don’t want to wage war with the health care provider to get your medical records. It just slows the process down. And you might need the treating doctors to testify in your case. Only send this letter after you have already made an initial written request and have not gotten any response and, even then, don’t be a jerk about it when you follow up on it.
Sample Letter
September 22, 2020
Suburban Hospital
8600 Old Georgetown Road
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
ATTN: MEDICAL RECORDS
Our Client: Brian Sequoia
SS#: 393-29-5763
Date of Birth: March 15, 1979
Date of Accident: July 23, 2010
Dates of Service: August 23-25, 2020
Dear Sir or Madam:
We have requested our client’s medical records and bills on six separate occasions. We have spoken to Margie Lauren on September 11th who said these records would be send out that day.
Please find a copy of the Maryland Health Code §4-309 which outlines your responsibility to provide the bills we have requested and the penalties you may incur as a result of the violation of this Code.
*Practice Tip*
Collecting medical records quickly and efficiently really is an art form. This article explains the best path to getting medical records for you or your client without spending endless time and money in the process.
Our client received treatment at your hospital after a compound femur fracture in a car accident in which he was hit by a drunk driver. He received great care from your hospital. Now we just need to get his medical records and bills to help him get the justice he deserves.
We really need your help. Can we work together to get this problem resolved?
Very truly yours,
Ronald V. Miller, Jr.
Enclosures: HIPAA, Code
Related Articles and Samples
- Return to Sample Attorney Letters
- Sample Demand Letter #1
- What Is the Value of My Personal Injury Case? (how lawyers and juries determine value)
- Handling Your Own Personal Injury Case (for those handling your case without a lawyer, here are some things to keep in mind)
- Personal Injury Attorney Help Center (guide for lawyers handling personal injury cases – includes sample depositions, trial transcripts, complaints, interrogatories, etc.)
- Looking to Refer Your Case? (Our law firm splits fees with co-counsel consistent with Maryland Rule 1.5(e) with other lawyers)