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How to fax a medical records request from your phone

Whether you're switching doctors, getting a second opinion, applying for benefits or keeping your own files, you have a right under HIPAA to access your medical records. Many providers accept records requests by fax, and some prefer it because it gives them a signed paper request. This fax-from-phone.com guide explains what to put in your request, how to send it from your phone with FaxToFax.com, and how to receive the records back securely.

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Use the provider's form if it has one

Most hospitals and practices have a records request or authorization form on their website or at the front desk. Using it speeds things up because it includes everything their records team needs. If there's no form, a signed written request works. Providers can ask for requests in writing, but under HIPAA they shouldn't create unreasonable barriers to access.

Look for the right department before you send. In a hospital it's usually health information management or release of information; in a small practice it may simply be the front office. Call and ask which fax number handles records requests, because sending it to a general clinic line can add days. Some larger systems also use an outside records company, and the practice will give you that company's number if so.

What to include

Your full name, any former names, and your date of birth.
Your address, phone number and, if you have it, your patient or medical record number.
Which records you want, such as visit notes, lab results or imaging reports, and the date range.
How you'd like to receive them. You can ask for them to be faxed to your own fax number.
Who should receive them, if you're sending records to another provider instead of yourself.
Your signature and the date.

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Send the request from your phone

Complete and sign the form, then scan it with your phone's document scanner as a single PDF.
If the provider asks for ID, scan your photo ID on a separate page.
Open your browser, go to FaxToFax.com and sign in with your email and one-time code.
Attach the PDF and add a cover page addressed to medical records or health information management.
On the cover page, include your name, date of birth, phone number and your FaxToFax fax number for the reply.
Enter the provider's records fax number, confirm it, and send.

Receive your records securely

If you ask for the records to be faxed to you, they'll arrive in your private encrypted inbox in the browser. FaxToFax never emails your documents, so your health records don't sit in your email account. You'll get an in-app alert and, if you've allowed them, browser notifications when they arrive. Download them to your phone or computer to keep. If you want to hold onto them in your FaxToFax inbox only for a while, retention controls can purge old faxes automatically.

Remember that received pages count toward your monthly allowance. A large records file can be many pages, so check your plan's page count, or ask the provider for a summary or specific date range if you don't need everything.

Timing and fees

HIPAA generally gives providers 30 days to respond to an access request, with one possible 30-day extension if they tell you in writing. They may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies. State laws can add their own rules. Your time-stamped delivery receipt shows when your request arrived, which helps if you need to follow up. More health paperwork guides are available on fax-from-phone.com.

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