• Revenue Cycle Management
  • COVID-19
  • Reimbursement
  • Diabetes Awareness Month
  • Risk Management
  • Patient Retention
  • Staffing
  • Medical Economics® 100th Anniversary
  • Coding and documentation
  • Business of Endocrinology
  • Telehealth
  • Physicians Financial News
  • Cybersecurity
  • Cardiovascular Clinical Consult
  • Locum Tenens, brought to you by LocumLife®
  • Weight Management
  • Business of Women's Health
  • Practice Efficiency
  • Finance and Wealth
  • EHRs
  • Remote Patient Monitoring
  • Sponsored Webinars
  • Medical Technology
  • Billing and collections
  • Acute Pain Management
  • Exclusive Content
  • Value-based Care
  • Business of Pediatrics
  • Concierge Medicine 2.0 by Castle Connolly Private Health Partners
  • Practice Growth
  • Concierge Medicine
  • Business of Cardiology
  • Implementing the Topcon Ocular Telehealth Platform
  • Malpractice
  • Influenza
  • Sexual Health
  • Chronic Conditions
  • Technology
  • Legal and Policy
  • Money
  • Opinion
  • Vaccines
  • Practice Management
  • Patient Relations
  • Careers

Summaries vs whole access

Article

Am I permitted to offer a patient a summary of his medical records instead of offering a complete copy?

Q: Am I permitted to offer a patient a summary of his medical records instead of offering a complete copy?

A: Yes, but only if the patient agrees and only if he accepts the fee you may charge for the service. From a liability standpoint, however, it's risky to offer a summary. First, your view of events may not be shared by your patient. Second, it's easy in summarizing to omit something that your patient—or his lawyer—thinks is important. For these reasons, think hard before offering a summary as an alternative to a copy of the actual record.

Related Videos