Why Does A Lawyer Have to Pay to Get Medical Records?

In virtually every type of Tennessee personal injury case a lawyer will be required to order medical records concerning the treatment that the received in the incident giving rise to the injuries.  The lawyer is charged for every page of every record from every health care provider. At the Law Offices of John Day, P.C. we have spent over $1000 to order medical records for a single client.

Why do lawyers have to pay for records?  The health care industry got a special law passed that permits each health care provider to charge a minimum fee for the first five pages of records ($20), 50 cents for each additional page plus the cost of mailing the records.  An additional $20.00 is charged when the lawyer asks the provider to certify the records as “business records” under the law.

The charges are clearly unreasonable, especially in light of the fact that many records are now electronic and it is much easier to produce medical records.  However, the health care lobby is very strong and thus the charges will undoubtedly continue.

 

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