medical record issues

[mommy amber]

I have been trying to get the medical records from my first labor and delivery for months.
I first paid the midwifery/ob-gyn office 20$ for my records which I thought (silly me would include labor and delivery.
After going back and forth with them for weeks, they finally told me I had to request the labor and delivery records from the hospital where I had dd...so, tack on another 6 weeks of going back and forth with them and I just receive the pre-pay bill for my records...47@#$% dollars!
Is this exorbitant?
It seems ridiculous that they are asking for this much $$ from me for MY records.
My midwife and I would really like to see the records...me for curiosity, and her for additional prep for my upcoming home-birth...she says it isn't necessary, but I really would like to see them!
And she (midwife) has had trouble when she requests them b/c they don't recognize her as a medical establishment (for which there would be NO FEE)...
I just think this is crazy!
Has anyone else experienced this? Fought it and won?

[nashvillemidwife]

Fees for Hospital Medical Records by State

[knitted_in_the_wom]

Originally Posted by nashvillemidwife

Fees for Hospital Medical Records by State

Well gee...seems that in PA, the cost is actual postage (which surely couldn't be more than $3 for Priority Mail, right?) and $1.28 for each page of the first 20 pages ($25.60 for 20 pages) and then $.95 per page for pages 21-60...

So to get to a total of $47, the records would have to be nearly 40 pages long!!! And please note, this is if the MAXIMUM allowable charge is applied.

Ummm....I have great difficulty believing the records are THAT long unless something extraordinary happened, so I'd challenge that amount for sure! For that matter, how long were the records from the OB that you had to pay $20?

It is infuriating that this is so difficult. Hugs!

Jenn

[MelW]

Hospitals generate a LOT of paperwork- so I can totally see 40 pages. They'll probably send you a bunch of stuff that isn't very helpful:
Consents, medication administration records (even if all you had was tylenol postpartum), labour notes from the nurses, notes from the doctor, doctor's orders, admission history (probably based on your prenatal records), possibly another copy of the prenatals that were in the hospital chart, fluid intake/output records, birth summary paperwork, possibly anesthesia paperwork, etc, etc, etc.

I wonder if you could just request the "basics" of labour and birth notes from the physicians and nurses?

[moderngal]

When I requested my records after switching to HB after starting my last pregnancy at a hospital practice, I was shocked that my records cost $50. And that was just for an uncomplicated pregnancy up to 30w. When I got the records, I went through them to see what they could possibly be writing... almost every single entry had duplicate pages. Each entry re-wrote my name, insurance info, past medical info, etc therefore each visit took at least 2 pages. They also include your consent to anything, labs, consults, etc.

$47 seems right to me. Outrageous, but unfortunately right.

[ferretbees]

$47 is not totally unheard of. I paid $103 for my hospital records. Funny, there was only one page that had the information I wanted - the surgery notes. I finally found out why I had nonstop prodromal labor for 72 hours and stalled labor at 5cm; DD was right occiput transverse.

[nashvillemidwife]

I calculated it too, but then realized the OP also didn't say that her first birth took place in Pennsylvania...

And yes, I can totally see a hospital record being 40 pages long.