attendance at the oral argument of the case at the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans indeed demonstrated to the physician community that these fine organizations do come to the aid of phy- sicians. They provide physicians with the legal expertise to protect the delivery of medical care and quality of care that we all strive to achieve,” the physicians said in a statement.
average hourly cost for wages and bene- fits of staff responsible for forwarding re- cords requests, along with the per-page expense of making photocopies. Remember: You cannot deny a copy
of records to a patient because of a past- due account with your practice. If you have additional questions
about medical records, contact the TMA Knowledge Center at (800) 880-7955 or
knowledge@texmed.org. n
Crystal Conde is an associate editor of Texas Medicine. You can reach her by telephone at (800) 880-1300, ext. 1385, or (512) 370-1385; by fax at (512) 370-1629; or by email at
crystal.conde@
texmed.org.
Medical record fee must equal actual costs
Questions about medical records are among the most asked in the Texas Medical Association Knowledge Center. One common question: Can we charge patients a search fee when we have to go into our off-site storage to fulfill a re- cords request?
The answer is no. Texas Medical
Board (TMB) rules specifically prohibit charging a fee for searching for and retrieving the requested information. Practices may charge a reasonable, cost- based fee for medical records that cov- ers the cost of copying (including labor and supplies), postage, and/or preparing a summary of records when appropri- ate. The U.S. Office of Civil Rights rules,
www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/un derstanding/consumers/medicalrecords .html, are the same.
TMB rules dictate that a reasonable fee shall be no more than $25 for the first 20 pages and 50 cents per page for every copy thereafter. Thus, you may charge a maximum fee of $27.50 for a 25-page chart. For diagnostic imaging studies, such as x-rays, the reasonable fee is no more than $8 per film. Addi- tionally, if an affidavit is requested, you may charge a reasonable fee of up to $15 for executing the affidavit. Note that merely staying below the maximum allowable charge may not be sufficient to meet the TMB’s mandate that your fees be “cost based.” To make sure the fee you charge is reflective of your actual costs, annually calculate the
Special Savings for TMA Members
Complete payment processing solution — FREE!*
• Accept major credit cards, signature debit cards and ACH
• Recurring billing and multi-user options available
• Manage multiple payment platforms through one payment gateway
Transaction Express®
is the customizable, Internet-based payment
processing system that enables you to manage all your practice’s payment processing. And it’s FREE* to TMA members like you.
Fax your merchant statements to 800.297.3405 or call 800.613.0148 for your FREE savings analysis!**
*Transaction Express includes free card swiper and set-up; special savings offer valued at $520.00. Offer does not apply to existing or recent TransFirst customers. All accounts subject to credit approval. Some restrictions and exclusions apply. Offer subject to change or discontinuance at any time. **Practitioners must provide their 3 most recent monthly merchant statements.
TF1561_TMA0313AD
TF1561_AD_TMA_March_MECH.indd 1 1/24/13 9:37 AM March 2013 TEXAS MEDICINE 33
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60