can a doctor legally hold onto your medical records if he claims you owe him mon!
Question:
i thought that medical records were the property of the patient and couldnt be held by the doctor.
Answers:
It goes to show you that in your country health care is a business. Thank God it is not like that in Canada. yet! That in its self is a crime. I'm pretty sure that they are your property. Seeing how it is confidential information about you. Shame to your doctor he sounds pretty unethical anyways. Time to get a new one.
Other Answers:
No. They are the property of the patient.
He/she can. Pay up. There's your free legal advice so don't bother looking elsewhere. This is gratis. After that I'll start charging $150 an hour.
No, I think technically those records belong to you, not your doctor.
Well, you have to pay him for his service and part of that service is keeping accurate records. As far as he is concerned, it's like holding a car at the mechanic.
I'm not sure.
It's true you medical records are yours, however the doctor stores them at his location, so technically part of your fees for seeing a doctor are related to storing those records.
You might want to look up HIPAA on the net or simple ask another doctor about the situation.
They can. And if you don't pay up, the doctor can send you to an outside collection agency and screw your credit.
Also, if you owe the doctor money, it *can* be (loosely) viewed as theft of service.
He can legally keep them until you pay your bill. Once he is paid they belong to you. If his with holding your records creates a health problem for you, he is liable.
leagally the medical records are that of the patient. you can request a copy of them under the freedom of information act. and they have to give you a copy. if you owe him money that is another problem altogether. he can hold onto them for your fee. you have to pay for the service. he still has to release a copy to you, if you get sick as a result of him not releasing them to you he can be held liable for it. if you have a condition that needs treating and he dosent release them he can be held liable.your best option is to go to another doctor and sign a release for him to obtain a copy from the other doctor he has to release them to the new doctor. most medical records remain in the possession of a treating doctor unless you travell from place to place then you can get copys of their records to take with you.the original transcrip usually remains with the treating doctor though. This also depends on the country you live in.
Source(s):
australian regulations. personal experience.
Answers: