Do I Have The Right To Access My Medical Records And Information?

Now, if you are a victim of a medical malpractice case, you will need your medical records. Of course, you might need them for a range of different reasons as well. This is the main reason for which you need to be well aware of your rights when it comes to it. Oftentimes, the doctors would take advantage of patients’ lack of knowledge on this matter and would say that you have no access to those documents. However, there are a few things that you need to take into account.

Your Rights to the Medical Records

You have the right to obtain a thorough and actual copy of your medical records from any type of medical provider. This is something that you should be aware of. Of course, there are a few exceptions as well. What is more, it is important to take a look at the medical records that you can obtain as well as those that have access to it.

Who may get the records?

There are a few different scenarios here, so let’s break them down a notch. You are entitled to request:

• Your own records
• The records of someone else if you are his or her designated representative.
• However, the provider is most likely to request a document which verifies your representing authority
• The records of someone else in case you are their legal guardian.
• The medical records of your children – there are some exceptions here.
• The records of a person who has deceased.

As you can see, the examples are quite numerous and to be considered. This is something quite important because those medical records contain critical information regarding the treatment of the patient as well as the conditions which have caused him to be in this particular medical condition. This is something that is going to help your case tremendously in a range of different manners. That is one of the reasons that you need to consider taking the assistance of personal injury lawyer at the earliest.

For instance, the damages that you are claiming are solely based on the things which the medical records describe. With this in mind, if you are going to be claiming damages for home care, for instance, they need to be justified in the medical records – it is as simple as that. Furthermore, if you are claiming that the permanent disability is caused by a traumatic brain injury, the same needs to be thoroughly reflected in the medical records. The truth is that these are amongst the most critical documents in a similar case and as such they need to be obtained as quickly as you can so that you can build your case. This is going to help your personal injury lawyer quite a lot. This will help them build and draft a stronger case to help you get maximum compensation.