Health care providers must now answer requests for medical records within set time limits: generally 10 or 15 business days when the records are needed for upcoming treatment, and 30 calendar days for other purposes such as lawsuits, insurance or schools.
Official title: releasing medical records; promptness
- September 12, 2026
What changes
BeforeWhen a patient or their health care decision maker asked in writing for medical or payment records, the provider had to provide them, but no number of days was stated.
NowThe provider must provide the records promptly and within not more than 7 business days, though a separate provision sets other response time frames that apply notwithstanding any other part of the law.
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NowIf a patient or their decision maker requests records for upcoming medical treatment, the provider must respond within 10 business days for records less than 12 months old, or 15 business days for records 12 months old or more, when the records are kept in the provider's current electronic health record system.
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NowRequests for other purposes must be answered within 30 calendar days. Examples include lawsuits, life insurance, payors (unless a contract says otherwise), schools, records of a patient who has died, and personal copies a patient could already get through a patient portal.
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NowThe new time frames do not require a provider to create or compile records that do not otherwise exist.
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Now"Upcoming medical treatment" is defined as a scheduled or expected health care service or consultation for which the records are reasonably necessary for diagnosis, treatment or coordination of care.
Who it affects
- Patients requesting their medical or payment records
- Health care decision makers acting for patients
- People and organizations requesting records for lawsuits, life insurance, payment or school purposes
- Health care providers
What you need to do
Nothing.
What the law doesn't answer
- What happens if a provider misses a deadline, and whether there is any penalty
- How the 7-business-day rule fits with the 10-, 15- and 30-day time frames
- What deadline applies to upcoming-treatment requests for records not kept in the provider's current electronic health record system
- Whether "respond" means the records must be delivered within the time frame or only that the provider must reply
- Whether providers may charge fees for copies
This summary describes the law as enacted. Later laws, court rulings or referendum petitions can change the picture. Check the official text for the current wording.