Funny, I just got off the phone with my daughter's doctor for the same thing. They can't legally charge you for the documents - they're yours. However, most of your records are likely to exist on computer, and they can charge you a fee to print them, as well as a fee for leaving their practice, which would have been hidden somewhere on page 47 in size 2 font when you signed into his practice. However, if you are changing to another doctor's office, they will often fax the files for free - so if you have a doctor buddy, see if you can't work something out that way.

I believe the law states that you have a right to your own records, free of charge, but you have to have another physician ready to transfer them to? I don't believe that you can possess your own medical records... But Im not positive? And.. Im certain that these laws vary from state to state so?

I believe that you are entitled to see your records. Some doctors charge a small fee for expenses. You can also request copies of any hospital stay records from the hospital.

One of the things Hippa grants you is access to your medical records. Now, if they are old records, your doctor may not have them. He is only required to store them for so many years (I think five) and after that he may destroy them or store them. He is allowed to charge you for making copies. If it is only a page or two, he may not bother. For someone like me who has filled two or three files, they usually charge ten cents a page. You may feel that you have paid a great deal of money for his services. Much of that money goes to pay for malpractice insurance in case you decide to sue him. My OB/GYN pays $250,000.00 off the top for malpractice insurance per year, before he pays any other expenses. You are also paying for the eight years he spent in college and the average $150,000.00 in student loans he racked up getting that expertise. You are paying the costs of all the medical equipment he either bought or leases and you are paying the costs of keeping the office space open and running. On top of that, you are paying the salaries of every person who works in that office. When you consider all the costs the doctor has to cover in order to be able to treat you, it really isn't very much. And if you would pay less, the best place to start would be torte reform.