Release of Medical Information
Who has the right to access your medical information?
Only you or your personal representative has the right to access your records. A health care provider may send copies of your records to another provider only as needed for treatment or payment or with your permission. HIPAA gives you important rights to access your medical record and to keep your information private.
Can a hospital charge a fee for medical records?
A hospital, provider or medical records department cannot deny you a copy of your records because you have not paid for the services you have received. However, you may be charged for the cost for copying and mailing the records, or a fee for searching for or retrieving your records.
Am I permitted to make corrections to my medical records?
If you think the information in your medical or billing record is incorrect, you can request a change, or amendment, to your record. The health care provider must respond to your request. If it created the information, it must amend inaccurate or incomplete information. If the provider or plan does not agree to your request, you have the right to submit a statement of disagreement that the provider or plan must add to your record.
How can I get a copy of my medical information or medical records?
The Medical Records Department holds all medical documentation that occurs at RGH and RGH Clinic. Records of admission, emergency room visits, day surgery, X-ray, lab, and more are located at medical records. Per New Mexico State Law, hospitals must retain all records that relate directly to the care and treatment of a patient for 10 years following the patient's last discharge.
Patients can obtain a copy of their current records by completing a Release of Medical Records. A completed and signed medical records release form along with a copy of the patients valid picture ID is required. The form and copy of photo ID may be returned to the RGH Medical Records Department by mail, or fax.
To mail the documents:
Roosevelt General Hospital & Clinics
Attention: Medical Records
PO Box 868
Portales, NM 88130
To fax the documents:
Fax the medical release form and copy of photo ID to (575) 356-7116.
Download the Release of Medical Records forms:
Release of Medical Records (English), PDF
Release of Medical Records (Spanish), PDF
Are you in need of medical records from (the old) RGH that closed in 1998?The former RGH closed their doors on October 19, 1998. Presbyterian Health Care Services now owns the records that were created at the former RGH. The old RGH records are being stored at Plains Regional Medical Center, 2100 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Clovis, New Mexico 88101. To find out how to retrieve old patient records that were before August 2001, contact Plains Regional Medical Center at (575) 769-2141, Medical Records Department. |