Medical Questions
How Do I Obtain Copies of My Medical Records in Hawaiʻi?
Request records directly from every hospital, clinic, ambulance provider, imaging center, laboratory or other healthcare provider involved in your treatment.
Ask for the provider’s medical-records or health-information-management department. Keep a copy of the request, identification supplied, delivery instructions and confirmation that it was received.
The Practical Answer
Contact each provider and request its authorization or patient-access form. Specify the treatment dates, location, records needed, preferred format and where the records should be sent.
Request more than the brief discharge summary when the full treatment record matters. Hospital, ambulance, imaging, laboratory and billing records may be held by different organizations and require separate requests.
Ready to Speak With an Attorney?
You can begin the conversation before every record arrives. Bring what you already have and a list of pending requests.
I’m Ready to Contact an Attorney1. Make a List of Every Provider
Include the ambulance company, emergency department, hospital, urgent-care clinic, physician, imaging center, laboratory, pharmacy and any follow-up provider.
A single hospital request may not include records created by an independent ambulance service, radiology group, laboratory or outside specialist.
2. Contact Medical Records or Health Information Management
Ask the provider for its patient access, authorization or release-of-information form. Many providers allow requests through a patient portal, secure email, fax, mail or in person.
Use the provider’s official contact information rather than sending private medical details to an unverified address.
3. Provide Accurate Identifying Information
The form may request your full legal name, date of birth, address, telephone number, treatment dates, medical-record number and a copy of identification.
If your current name or address differs from the information used during treatment, explain the difference.
4. Be Specific About the Records Requested
Consider requesting emergency and physician notes, nursing notes, discharge instructions, medication records, test results, laboratory reports, imaging reports, actual imaging files, consultation notes and referral documents.
Also request itemized billing records when costs, insurance or reimbursement may matter.
5. Request Ambulance Records Separately
Ambulance or emergency medical service records may be maintained separately from the receiving hospital’s records. Identify the transporting agency, date, pickup location and destination.
Request the patient-care report and billing record from the ambulance provider.
6. Ask for Imaging Reports and the Images
A written radiology report and the actual X-ray, CT, MRI or ultrasound images are different records. Request both when they may be relevant.
Images may be delivered through a secure portal, download link, disc or another approved method.
7. Choose Paper or Electronic Delivery
Ask whether the records can be supplied electronically through a secure portal, encrypted email or digital media. Electronic delivery can be easier for travelers who have already left Hawaiʻi.
Confirm whether the provider can produce the records in the requested format and whether any charge will apply.
8. Understand the HIPAA Right of Access
Federal HIPAA rules generally give individuals the right to access protected health information maintained about them in a designated record set, subject to limited exceptions.
A provider may require a written request and reasonable identity verification. Different rules can apply to certain psychotherapy notes, information prepared for legal proceedings and records outside the designated record set.
9. Ask About Timing and Fees
Ask when the request was received, the expected completion date and whether an extension or fee is anticipated.
Keep receipts and written explanations of charges. Do not assume that every provider follows the same process or delivery schedule.
10. If Someone Else Is Requesting the Records
A spouse, companion, parent, attorney or other representative may need a valid authorization or proof of legal authority. The provider may require its own form.
Do not send records to a third party until you understand exactly what information is being authorized and where it will go.
11. Check the Records When They Arrive
Confirm that the dates, facility and categories requested are included. Look for missing pages, incomplete imaging, absent billing records or records belonging to another person.
If something is missing, contact the records department promptly and refer to the original request.
12. Keep the Files Secure and Organized
Store medical records in a private physical and digital folder. Use clear filenames that include the provider, service date and document type without changing the contents of the original file.
Keep the records separate from public travel albums, shared family folders and social-media accounts.
13. Create a Medical-Records Checklist
List each provider, treatment date, records requested, request date, confirmation number, expected delivery method, fee and completion status.
This helps an attorney or insurer understand what has arrived and what remains outstanding.
Official Privacy and Access Resources
Use these official federal resources for current information about medical-record access rights.
Are Some Records Still Missing?
Prepare a list of the providers contacted, requests submitted and documents still outstanding.
I’m Ready to Contact an Attorney