Your Records, Privacy & HIPAA
The Health Information Management Department helps people who receive services from MHMR and their families by maintaining and protecting consumers’ MHMR medical records. We provide authorized access to consumers’ medical record information. We also provide general assistance in answering questions about medical record privacy, security and HIPAA requirements.
Your medical record is an important, private document. It contains recorded information about your visits to your health care providers, tests you may have had (such as lab work), and other information about program admissions. It is the road map for your health and the health care your have received from MHMR. Should you need emergency care or care elsewhere, your medical record helps ensure that the person helping you is aware of your medical history, conditions and previous treatments.
Privacy with your medical records (Also see Frequently Asked Questions)
There are many rules and guidelines to make sure your records remain private or confidential, such as:
- We can release records to other physicians or health care facilities without your consent for follow-up care or if it is a medical emergency. When records are released, we take reasonable precautions that the physician is providing follow-up care to you.
- Generally, a spouse or other family member cannot get a copy of a consumer’s records unless he or she signs a form giving us permission.
- We require identification before we will release your records even to you.
- We do not release confidential information over the phone.
Getting Copies of Your Medical Records
If you would like a copy of your record, we will be glad to help you complete a written request located in our department. If you are unable to come to the agency to fill out the form, we will accept a signed letter from the client or legal guardian indicating whose records are to be sent, where they are to be sent and the dates of service. We will mail the records as soon as possible. By state law, we are allowed to charge fees for making copies of the records under certain circumstances. The standard fee we charge a client requesting copies of records is $1 per page (1-10 pages) or a $10 flat fee for record copies which exceed 10 pages.