Your Records: Will You be Charged for Copies?
Before meeting with a new electrophysiologist (or surgeon), you’ll want to send (or take along) a packet with your medical records, test results and any images/X-rays, but you may be missing some medical records.
What They Can and Can’t Charge You
When requesting copies of your medical records, expect to pay duplication costs for hard copies. In the U.S., HIPAA regulations allows doctors/practices to charge a “reasonable, cost-based fee.” They can charge for supplies, staff time for copying and processing, and mailing costs, if applicable.
However, they may not charge for the time a staff member spends searching for the record. In addition, they should not adopt a policy of charging a flat fee or charging a patient to view a record.

Copy digital files to a USB flash drive
No-Cost Copies?
To save money, ask your doctors or medical center if they will copy electronic files to your USB Flash drive or to a disc/CD you supply.
“But I Live Outside the U.S.”
If you live outside the US, know that over 89 countries have adopted Data Privacy Laws that apply to patient records. For example, Canada has the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and in Europe there’s the EU Data Protection Reform. To learn more, research your country’s data privacy laws.
Continued Reading: 3 Ways to Request Copies of Your Medical Records.