Patient and Family Resources
Obtain Medical Records

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Hours:

8:30 am to 4:30 pm for patients and families
24 hours a day for clinical staff

Mailing Address:

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Health Information Management
MLC 5015
3333 Burnet Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45229

Services Provided for Families

Release of information. Read about the request process and fees and find forms to download below.

Services Provided for Physicians

Record completion assistance
Retrieval of medical records for patient care and chart reviews
Dictation / transcription services and report distribution

How to Obtain Medical Records

The Health Information Management Department at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center processes, stores and retrieves patient medical records.

The information contained in a patient’s medical record is confidential. It is a legal requirement that Cincinnati Children’s receive specific authorization before releasing this information. Authorization may be granted by completing an “Authorization For Use and / or Disclosure of Protected Health Information” form.

Beginning Monday, March 9, 2020, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center will destroy medical records whose retention periods have expired. These include medical records of patients who have not been seen for care within the past 30 years.

A patient or patient’s legal representative may request copies of the medical record prior to destruction. Requests to do so must be submitted using the “Authorization for Use/Disclosure of Protected Health Information” form located below in the "Download a Form" section.

Request Process

Requests for X-ray, MRI, nuclear medicine or other films should be given to the Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, 513-636-4251, option 4.
Requests for billing statement copies should be directed to Patient Financial Services at 513-636-4427, unless medical record copies are also required. In this case, the request should be directed to Health Information Management for initial processing; it will be forwarded to the Patient Financial Services area for completion.
Requests for copies of a medical record should be directed to Health Information Management. Authorization forms may be submitted in person, by mail, by email or by fax. Authorization forms completed via Docusign will automatically be submitted to the Health Information Management Release of Information team. Email: ROI@cchmc.org. Fax: 513-636-6729.

Complete a Form

To request medical records, complete one of the authorization form options below:

There may be times when you are not available to bring your child for medical care. You can fill out a “Permission to Authorize Consent for Treatment” form to allow another individual that you name to give legal consent for medical care and procedures. You must have this form notarized, and it expires one year from the date you sign.

The Docusign version of the form will automatically be sent to the Health Information Management Department upon completion and submission.

The PDF version of the form can be emailed back to ROI@cchmc.org.

Attention, Parents
If your child is 18 years of age or older, it is REQUIRED by law that he or she sign a “Authorization for Use and / or Disclosure of Protected Health Information” form allowing release of the medical record, including to release the record to you.

Tips for Requesting Copies of Medical Records

Requests for all information (progress notes, consent forms, registration sheets, etc.) can delay processing. If you need help deciding what to request, a Release of Information Technician will assist you. Call 513-636-4217, Option 1.

When requesting dates of service, an Abstract (see definition below) of the medical records from the last one (1) year of active treatment will be released, unless otherwise specified. If additional records are needed, please specify dates.

If the information requested is for continuing patient care, patient/parent/legal guardian use, or disability purposes the receiving entity generally wants an Abstract of specific information. Medical Record Abstract contains the following documentation:
- Discharge Summary: this document is a summary of the care, treatment, services provided and progress toward goals of an inpatient stay
- Emergency Record: this record documents a summary of the care, treatment and services provided for a visit to the emergency room
- History & Physical: this form details the present illness or care needs and includes any relevant history
- Inpatient Consultation Report(s): this report documents the findings of a physician asked to examine a patient during an inpatient or observation stay
- Operative/Procedure Report(s): this report details the surgeon/proceduralist’s findings, technical procedures used, specimens removed and postoperative diagnosis
- Outpatient Clinic Note(s): notes from outpatient office or therapy visits
- X-Ray Reports, Labs or Other Tests: radiology, lab results, and other tests including echocardiograms and EKGs
If you are an attorney and submit a subpoena for medical records and you are not the prosecuting attorney requesting records for reasons of child abuse or neglect, please also submit the Authorization for Use and/or Disclosure form signed by the patient/parent/legal guardian or a Court Order signed by a Judge or Magistrate. This will help ensure a timely response and valid record retrieval process.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) allows healthcare providers 30 days to process records requested by patients/parents/legal guardians with an acceptable extension period of 30 days when required. CCHMC strives to provide records quickly. Sometimes the full 60 days are required.

Fee Structure for Medical Record Copies

Records sent to patient/parent/legal guardians or to providers for continuing patient care, are not charged. If records are being sent to another person or entity, there may be a charge. The person or entity identified to receive records will be sent a prepayment invoice once the total cost is determined.

ITEM	FEE
Paper Copies/CD per page	First 10 pages $1.53/page, pages 11-50 $.79/page, 51 pages and up $.31/page (CD cost not to exceed $50 plus shipping and handling)
Radiology Images	$10.00 per study
Shipping/Handling	Actual cost based on US Postal Service rates
Fees are reviewed periodically. They are based on the State of Ohio ORC 3701.742 or the HIPAA HITECH ACT.

Payment for Medical Record Copies

All checks must be made payable to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Checks can be mailed to this address:

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
Health Information Management
MLC 5015
3333 Burnet Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45229

Payment may also be made using Visa or MasterCard by calling 513-636-4217.

Note that copies of medical records from other facilities may not be re-released by Cincinnati Children’s. They must be requested from the originating facility.

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