Check it

Providers need complete and accurate information to provide you with the right care. Once you get your health record (also known as a medical record), look it over to make sure that all of your health information is complete, correct, and up to date. This is important because you may have forgotten to tell your health care provider something or they may have forgotten to write it down. The staff in your provider’s office are busy people who make mistakes just like everyone else. Some examples of common errors:

• You may have forgotten to tell your provider about something — like a new medication or allergy
• Your provider might have misunderstood, incorrectly noted, or left out something — like information about your health history or your symptoms
• Your provider might have charged you for a test you didn’t have

If you don’t check your record, you won’t know these mistakes have been made, and they could impact your future health and treatment. Explore these tips on what kind of mistakes to look for - and what to do if you find one!

What kind of mistakes am I looking for?

You’re looking for mistakes or out-of-date information that will affect how your health care provider diagnoses and treats you, whether your provider can contact you, and how you’ll be billed. You can let typos go, but if a mistake can affect your health or your bank account, it should be fixed.

Check your personal information, including:

• Name, address, and phone number
• Health insurance plan’s name and phone number
• Identification numbers, like your patient identification number or social security number
• Emergency contact names, addresses, and phone numbers

Check your health information, including:

• Doctor’s appointment notes
• Health or medical history
• Signs of illness (called symptoms)
• Immunizations
• Health conditions (sometimes called diagnoses or problem lists)
• Allergies
• Medicines (what you take, how much, and when)
• Tests
• Surgeries and other procedures

Check your medical bills:

Make sure you’re only being charged for services you’ve received. You can do this by comparing the information in your health record with:

• The reports your health insurance plan sends you (often called Explanation of Benefits)
• The bills from your doctor or other health care providers

What do I do if something is incorrect or missing?

If you think there’s a mistake in your health record, you have a right under the HIPAA Privacy Rule to ask your health care provider to fix it.

If you want to have a mistake fixed, follow these steps:

Note: If you want to send your request by email, you’ll need to attach digital copies (PDF files) of the record page where you found the mistake and the request form. Messages you send through your patient portal are secure, which helps protect your privacy and personal information. But your personal email isn’t secure, which makes it easier for someone to view or steal your personal information.

What happens after I request a correction?

Your health care provider has 60 days to respond to your request, unless they ask for an extension (extra time). Here’s what you can expect:

If your provider agrees there’s a mistake in your health record, they’ll update your record and send you a notice — either in your patient portal or via email or mail — that they’ve taken care of it.

If your provider does not agree with you, they’ll send you a denial notice that should include:

• The reason they’re not going to change the record. For example, they might say they believe your health record is correct and complete.
• Information about how to respond to their decision.

What do I do if my provider doesn’t agree with my request?

If your health care provider does not agree with you that there is a mistake in your health record, you can:

• Send them a formal letter in reply to their decision, stating clearly why you disagree. Their denial notice should include instructions on how to do that. If not, call their office. Your response will be attached to your health record.
• If you don’t want to reply to the denial notice, you can ask your provider to attach a copy of your original request and the denial notice to the affected page(s) of your health record.
• File a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services if you think the reason the provider gives you for denying your request is wrong. Get more information on filing a complaint at HHS.gov.