Are patients/guardians responsible for clerical costs to obtain medical records?

Patients and guardians are typically required to cover reasonable costs associated with obtaining medical records. This reflects the costs associated with the administrative work needed to retrieve, copy, and send the records, which can include expenses like copying fees or postage. This practice is grounded in the principle that while patients have a right to access their health information, providers can charge for the labor and materials required to fulfill that request.

While some might assume that the responsibility falls solely on the provider, there are stipulations in law and policy confirming that patients can bear these costs. It's also notable that the requirement for patients to pay for clerical costs does not mean that providers may set any fee they desire; rather, the fees must be reasonable and justifiable based on the incurred costs.

The other possible answers suggest conditions under which clerical costs may not apply, such as implying that only providers are responsible or limiting the costs to specific circumstances regarding the format of the records requested. However, the law generally establishes that patients contribute to the costs incurred in processing their requests for both physical and electronic records, provided the charges are reasonable.