Let My Medical Records Go
When KPC Medical Management went bankrupt and abruptly closed its doors last Nov. 20, 38 medical clinics were closed, affecting approximately 2,000 employees and more than 300,000 patients in Southern California. Patients didn’t know where to retrieve their medical records or recent diagnostic test results.
There was also concern about patients being charged a fee to get their records. Under California law, health care providers must permit the inspection of a person’s medical records within five working days after receiving a written request from that individual. Also, providers must furnish copies of the records for not more than 25 cents per page, or 50 cents per page for records copied from microfilm.
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KAREN KARLITZ spoke with Betty Jean Forgnone, who had been a patient of the former Friendly Hills Medical Group, one of KPC Medical Management clinics that closed.
Friendly Hills Medical Group had been my health care provider for at least the last decade. After I learned of the bankruptcy, I went to its facility in La Habra to find out where my family and I could go to get treatment. Everything was locked up tight. I had a hard time, but eventually I found someone there to tell me how to get copies of my medical records.
I was told there would be a $40 charge, which surprised me. I thought these records were legally my property. I was told, however, that the records had been “sold” to another company that was willing to sell them to me or to my physician. They were, in essence, holding my medical records hostage.
Shortly after, I received a form letter from my insurance provider, Maxicare. It said the company is working with a medical record copying service, SmartCorp, to facilitate the transition of their clients’ medical records directly to their clients’ new primary care physicians. The letter said there would be no fee for the transfer or copying of these records and that if a fee is charged, it will be reimbursed by Maxicare.
But not everyone has Maxicare. What about them?
