Below is the Iowa state statute which controls the amount of money that doctors, hospitals, and other health care providers can charge for copies of medical records provided to the patient or the patient’s attorney for use in personal injury or wrongful death civil cases. Note that there may be other statutes which pertain to workers’ compensation claims, Social Security disability matters, etc.
We update this page when we learn of a new statute or any revision to the statutes. Despite our best efforts we cannot and do not represent that this statute is up-to-date. One type of revision which is especially hard for us to keep track of has to do with cost changes allowed annually by a statute and based on some indexed inflation rate.
We suggest that you read the actual state statute (as opposed to relying upon our brief summary) when there is a link available.
Iowa
Iowa Code 2016, Section 622.10
If the individual requests a copy of the protected health information or agrees to a summary or explanation of such information, the covered entity may impose a reasonable, cost-based fee, provided that the fee includes only the cost of:
- Labor for copying the protected health information requested by the individual, whether in paper or electronic form;
- Supplies for creating the paper copy or electronic media if the individual requests that the electronic copy be provided on portable media;
- Postage, when the individual has requested the copy, or the summary or explanation, be mailed;
- Preparing an explanation or summary of the protected health information, if agreed to by the individual as required by paragraph (c)(2)(iii) of this section.
If you are aware of an additional or different medical records copying costs statute which should be posted for this state, please send a link to the relevant statute to Tom Lamb.
Likewise, any clarifications, corrections, or updates regarding the statute shown for this state should be submitted to Tom Lamb.
Please understand that the materials on this web page are for general information purposes only, and is not intended as legal advice.
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