This week’s “Ftag of the Week” is F573 Right to Access/ Purchase Copies of Records. This Ftag is related to the resident’s right to obtain all records, both medical and personal, pertaining to him/herself. Access to these records, or copies of these records, must be provided, even if the request is only made orally. The records include any record that pertains to the resident. Here’s something things to note:
- Records need to be provided in a form/format that is requested by the resident if possible, but if not, a “readable” hard copy or other format may be provided if agreed upon by the facility and the individual requesting the records
- Access to personal and medical records need to be provided within 24 hours except on weekends and holidays
- Copies of requested records must be provided upon request with 2 working days advance notice provided to the facility
- The facility may charge a “reasonable” cost-based fee to provide copies of records, so long as the fee only includes the cost of labor for copying the records, the cost of supplies for creating paper copies (or electronic media if the copy is requested on portable media), and any associated postage for mailing the copied records. Fee for “locating” records or typing forms or envelopes may not be charged for.
You can view our “Ftag of the Week” series here. If you have a Ftag you’d like us to review, please contact us.