HIPAA Laws Regarding Release of Records

[ZenSamurai]

I have a doctor who keeps hanging up on the life insurance company asking for the medical records and it's been two months already. This has to be illegal in some way. The proposed insured signed for the medical records to be released to the life insurance company. There has to be a time limit as to release the records. Does anybody know if this is indeed illegal to simply hang up on a life insurance company requesting for the release of the medical records especially when the proposed insured signed the release on the application?

 

[unic.consulting]

Not illegal, but not a good practice either. Have the patient get his own records from the doctor's office and submit them to the insurance for him. They can't deny him his own records.

 

[scagnt83]

Not illegal, but not a good practice either. Have the patient get his own records from the doctor's office and submit them to the insurance for him. They can't deny him his own records.

Refer to his other thread in the life forum. It becomes an offense that the doctor could be fined for after 30 days.

 

[ATM]

Here is how I deal with this problem. I will call the doctors office as the agent and ask to speak directly with the doctor. of course this will never happen.

I will then explain that it is extremely important that I speak with the doctor regarding his or her hundreds of thousand or even millions of dollars of potential liability he is assuming by not sending important information.

If the potential insured dies prior to the issuance of the policy on his patient, I am sure that the potential beneficiaries will all join together in a lawsuit that the doctor will surely lose for delaying the simple request for medical records.

So could I speak to him right now?

Surprisingly, I tend to get the records in the matter of an hour or less.