Hey Jyes,
I did a quick search and found nothing in the legislation for the state of NJ preventing you from getting your medical records.
Quote:
By P.L. 1989, c. 170 , the New Jersey Legislature — in recognition that a hospitalized patient often feels overwhelmed and uncertain as to his condition and course of treatment, and because the declaration of a bill of rights for hospital patients may lead to fuller understanding and greater security on the part of patients, as well as greater sensitivity by the providers of medical care — required that notice of those rights be provided to patients. While these "rights" are not strictly applicable to other settings, they serve as good reminders to health care providers of patient needs, and to patients as to their reasonable expectations. Every person admitted to a general hospital licensed by the State Department of Health pursuant to P.L.1971, c. 136 (C. 26:2H-1 et seq.), shall have the right:
For Full Text: http://www.nj.gov/lps/ca//bme/statreg/patientrights.htm
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I would think that it is a reasonable expectation to be able to recieve copies of your reports and records, so that you would be able to make an informed decision regarding your course of treatment.
I've been in quite a few disagreements with medical office staff over my medical records before. I not only make my request verbally, but I also fax over a generic request form, so that there is a written record of my request. The way I look at it is, they're going to release the to my WC carrier, why the he** can't they release it to me?! I've had to pay nominal fee's per page, but it's worth it to me so that I can figure out which direction my care should take and what questions I need to have when I meet with the physican.
Go get em! Give em he**, and don't take "no" for an answer.
Theresa