Personal Injury Lawyer in Hattiesburg, MS: Getting Your Medical Records

by | Dec 7, 2013 | Lawyers

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There are all sorts of reasons why a person might need to acquire a copy of their medical records. If you are tangled in a personal injury claim, for example, your medical records may be the vital piece of evidence to your claim. For instance, if your personal injury case is correlated to a vehicular accident, you would have to verify that it was the accident that triggered your injury. You would need your medical records so it cannot be disputed that a previous medical condition caused the injury.

Thanks to Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) you have the right to acquire your medical records at any time with any medical provider. Naturally there are a few exceptions to this right. This includes things such as who can actually get the records and what kind of records you can get.

Who Can Get The Records?

The easiest way to get medical records is for an individual to get their own medical records. However, that is not always an option that is on the table. You can get someone else’s medical records if you have a written request from them granting you permission. It is not uncommon for someone to write written permission for their personal injury lawyer in Hattiesburg, MS to get their medical records. You just need to make sure you trust your personal injury lawyer in Hattiesburg, MS to handle them. If you have a child you have the right to get their medical records as well. Lastly, there are limited rights to getting the medical records of a deceased individual as well.

What Kinds of Records Can You Get?

Thanks to HIPAA you can get copies of any and all of your medical records. You even have the right to review the original medical records of your provider as well. HIPAA does give the provider the rights to withhold any psychotherapy notes, information that they are gathering for a law suit, and information that the provider believes would endanger you in some way.

You could consult with your personal injury lawyer in Hattiesburg, MS in order to figure out how long it is going to take to get your records. A law firm such as Brinkley Law Firm would also be able to help you figure out the fine details. They may even be able to speed up the process.

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