When Brenay Torres, mother two in West Virginia, found a piece on her chest, was sent for ultrasound after her mammography was not unclear. But when he tried to create an ultrasound appointment, he ran into an unexpected barricade.
“Then the nightmare began,” Torres said. Sent to a different medical office to make the ultrasound. But before she could see, they required images from her mammography – and the fee to get a copy of these files was $ 175.
Torres said he tried to negotiate a more reasonable remuneration, but the mammography installation would not fall.
“The end was too high for me to pay – and I couldn’t do the ultrasound. Every day I was extremely anxious to have cancer and spread through my body,” Torres said.
Because there is a limited number of providers in her city, it took some time to find another imaging center that did not require the previous records and had to wait more than three months until they opened.
“The whole situation was extremely stressful and started because of the remuneration of the holding files – why can’t I have a picture of my own body without paying a high end?
Torres’ experience is not uncommon.
While people are legally beneficiary In their medical records according to the federal law, many meeting aggravating fees When they request electronically or hard copies of their files.
Patient gates online have increased access to medical information, but patients may need strong copies of their files when transitioning to a new doctor, dentist, visualization center or when referring to a specialist. Patients may also need hard copies for their own personal file keeping.
“You can’t rely on the gateway for everything, especially with a depiction,” Torres said.
Under the Law on Portability and Accountability of Health Insurance (HIPAA)Providers can charge a “reasonable, cost -based cost”, which includes work to copy the record (paper or electronic) and supplies (paper, cd, postal fees). But it may not include the costs associated with verification, searching and recovering medical files. The requested files are supposed to be sent in a timely manner, generally 30 calendar days.
Read: Health Insurance 101 for Women: What you are entitled to as a woman >>
Medical files vary according to the state
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Concerns about growing Cost of Health Care – including unexpected The fees – are increasing. But even with Hipaa guidelines for medical records, cost can still It differs significantly Depending on the installation, the provider and the state in which they exercise.
Many states regulate Which providers are allowed to charge and some allow patients to receive a free copy of their files. Other statesLike Aidaho, Kansas and Alaska, they have no laws to regulate file fees. Some states charge a flat fee, while others charge anywhere from 50 cents to $ 2 per page.
In some cases, even if a state allows certain fees, it may not comply with the Hipaa right of access. Finally, if there is a conflict between state laws and Hipaa on these fees, any law is more favorable to patients and provides a more affordable choice generally receives previous.
This national patchwork of different rules for different states can lead to limited supervision compliance and the fees, which can lead to a expensive and provocative procedure for patients.
Patients may ignore Hipaa remuneration regulations and may not know that they have the right to challenge providers who charge excessive or prohibited remuneration.
Caitlin Donovan, Senior Director of Patient prosecutorHe said it may be administrative weight for providers to process file requests, but accessibility for patients should still be a priority and access to file acquisition should not depend on the patient’s ability to pay.
“Patients have the right to their medical records, in the form they ask, but at some point these files are no longer accessible if they are not accessible,” Donovan said.
What can you do if you are if you come across high medical files
If patients encounter medical records that create difficulties, Donovan recommended control To determine whether the fee is allowed in their state and speaking at the billing office about their concerns. Patients also have the right to report excessive fees to them State Inspector General the office and consumer of their state protection office.
If a provider does not comply with state laws or hipaa regulations, patients may submit Hipaa complaint with The Civil Rights Office (OCR). If a patient has insurance, they can also file a complaint to his insurance company.
Donovan added that the practice protocols may be different from the provider, but they suggested that we ask if the provider/installation may request the files directly from the provider he has – sometimes provider in provider requests does not lead to remuneration.
Vulnerable patients can be more affected
Marginalized communities and patients with complex medical stories already experience Health inequalities can be particularly affected by these fees.
“Fees can be another obstacle to marginalized communities,” he said Faith ohuoba, mdOB-GYN in Texas and Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Houston. Ohuoba said that while there may be an increase in administrative work for office staff to process different registration requests, providers still have to realize the effects of these fees on patients.
Women, already I spend more Sanitary care compared to men can also end up paying more in file fees. According to Ohuoba, women often have preventive projections (mammography and Pap tests) and these tests can be done in different facilities, which means they could possibly end up paying even more in fees to get their records from each medical office.
For patients who are unable to pay for a visual cd, Ohuoba said it would bring a copy of the imaging report to a new provider, as they can usually be printed from the patient gate.
Read: Guide to Medical Imaging for Women >>
Slide is the key
Ohuoba said transparency is critical and it is important for providers to disclose any fees they charge forward. If you receive an excessive file pay, Ohuoba said to request a detailed account and request more specific information about what you charge. He noted that some installations may say that they have a flat fee for each registration request, but by requesting this particular information it may be an important part of the increasing transparency in the charge.
“Providers must be empowering how pay can affect patients, offer different payment options and work with patients to resolve the issue,” Ohuoba said.
