By Lori Basheda | MedCity News | November 18, 2019
With few exceptions, federal law requires that health care providers make copies of medical records available within 30 days after patients request them and, when possible, in the format they desire. Under California law, providers have 15 days to hand over the records if they are being sent directly to the patient.
But many patients, who may have records scattered across doctors’ offices, labs, hospitals and clinics, say responses from health care providers can range from sluggish to churlish. Assembling the records can be onerous.
Earlier this year, Shanahan turned to a Silicon Valley startup called Ciitizen, which requests medical records on behalf of cancer patients and redacts them for clarity and legibility.
