2020 maximum charges for copies of medical records in Illinois

February 5, 2020

Alert

In Illinois, health care facilities and practitioners are permitted to charge for copies of medical records when the patient, other health care practitioners, and/or attorneys request such records. The purpose of the charge is to allow the producing facility or practitioner to be reimbursed for all reasonable costs associated with copying the medical records, including the costs of independent copy service companies, as applicable. The Illinois Code of Civil Procedure (735 ILCS 5/8-2001) initially set the maximum fees that can be charged. However, the actual dollar amount is adjusted annually by the Comptroller for the State of Illinois.

The maximum fees that can be charged for copying medical records in 2020 are as follows:

Paper: $1.09 per page for the first 25 pages, $0.73 per page for pages 26 to 50, and $0.36 per page for each page in excess of 50.
Microfiche or microfilm: $1.82 per page for copies made from microfiche or microfilm (records retrieved from digital formats do not qualify as microfiche or microfilm).
Electronic records: The charge for copies made from electronic records cannot exceed 50% of the per page charge for paper copies. This charge includes the cost of each CD-ROM, DVD, or other storage media. Any records already maintained in an electronic or digital format must be provided in an electronic format if so requested unless the records system prohibits the facility or practitioner from doing so and the requester is informed in writing of such limitation.
X-rays and pictures: The facility or practitioner can charge for the reasonable cost of duplication of any record material or information that cannot be routinely copied or duplicated on a standard copy machine, such as x-rays films or pictures.
Handling change: In addition to the above, health care facilities and practitioners are permitted to charge $29.09 for processing the request and the actual postage or shipping cost.

If you have any questions about charges for copies of medical records in Illinois or any other state such as Michigan, Ohio, or Florida, please contact the attorney below.

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2020 maximum charges for copies of medical records in Illinois

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