TIME FOR ACTION
Medical Records
We protect your records. We keep all health records, including treatment, tests, medications, lab results, and notes electronically stored. With a few exceptions, it is your right to receive a copy of your medical records and billing records anytime you request them. However, you do not have the right to access a provider’s psychotherapy notes, or notes that your therapist takes during sessions, which are usually kept separate from your medical and billing records.
Privacy First
We may send copies of your records to another provider or entity with your permission. Depending on the type of request and your status as a patient with us, we may charge for copying and mailing records.
If you need a copy of your lab results, medical records, letters or a billing document, we will provide them for you while following HIPAA guidelines.
Requests & Permission
We must first have in our possession a document signed by you or an authorized representative indicating that you have given us permission to release your records to another person or company. Please complete our Authorization for use or disclosure of protected health information
here. Make sure that you include the name and address the records should be released to.
Email Address
info@wmhwc.com
Mailing Address
3825 Market St, Ste 4
Wilmington, NC 28403
Requesting copies of your medical records by email, fax or mail:
We prefer communication via fax, which occurs via phone lines, not the internet. This makes all communications via fax more secure than email transmission.
Timing & Cost
By law, we must provide copies of medical records within 30-60 days of the request. However, we often process the request within 10 days of the time we receive it. Keep in mind that in most cases we must first discuss the request with you and ensure that your privacy is being protected. No same-day or immediate processing of medical records will be considered under any circumstances.
Our handling fee depends on the form of delivery and often begins at a base rate of $10 per request. Letters and reports can include a higher fee depending on the length of time needed to drafting/completing them. Faxes are free of charge. Mailed documents are charged at a rate of 0.75 cents per 1-25 pages and 0.25 cents per 26-up pages. Copies for any test completed during an appointment is free.
Remember that once we receive your request, we will review your chart and provide you with an estimate of the cost to copy your records. We may send you an invoice via email or ask you to pay the fee online. Please contact us if you have further questions regarding this process.
We adhere to the physical, administrative, and technical safeguards outlined in HIPAA to protect the integrity of Protected Health Information (PHI).