Your welcome Aggie

I never had to pay for copies of my lab results...

...but some doctors offices make you fill out an official request form, and charge a 50 cent fee per page for any/all copies of a medical record.

My specialists (rheumatologist and neurologist) don't like giving me copies of my lab results - but anytime I have labwork done I tell the lab to send a copy of the results to my primary care doctor, and my primary care doctor automatically makes a copy of every lab test for me.

I also used to work at the lab -- I was a phlebotomist (taking blood) -- and I have called the lab director before and asked her if I can swing by to pick up copies of my labwork... I only do that when I am really impatient and I don't want to wait until my next doctors visit to get my results.


Have you seen your doctor since the labwork was done? Many doctors want to talk to their patients in person about the results before giving the patient a copy - even if the labs are normal many doctors do this as a rule. So your doctor may be waiting to see you in person before he/she releases the copies to you.

Another reason you might be having trouble is because many doctors offices are very strict about having a patient sign an official release form before they release any copies of the persons medical record. If this is the case, you will have to go to the office to sign the form, or have them mail the form to you and then mail it back (and they might charge a "copying fee" per page).

If your doctors office has an office manager, you can call and talk to that person to find out what needs to be done in order to get a copy of the labwork for yourself. If there is no office manager, then speaking to the doctors nurse could be helpful. Of course, speaking directly to the doctor is best, but they don't always return phone calls to patients unless it is an emergency.

I hope that helps

take care,
Liz