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Your Right to Obtain Access to Your Dental Records
HIPAA is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. It’s a law that helps ensure the privacy of your medical information.
All healthcare providers, health organizations, and government health plans that use, store, maintain, or transmit patient healthcare information are required to comply with HIPAA. Only small, self-administered health organizations are excluded from the law.
Thanks to HIPAA, you are the only person with theright to your dental and other medical records. Here are a few key points you should know:
Hard Copy vs. Electronic Records
There are two types of records: the “old-school” hard copy records andelectronic medical records(EMRs). HIPAA was key in the development of EMR, which allows your medical information to be shared securely and easily.
Whether you should ask for a hard copy or an electronic copy depends on your needs and preferences. However, keep in mind that medical records can be hundreds of pages long. In that case, it might be easier to have them sent electronically. You might also drop off a USB drive that the files can be saved to.
What You Can Do With Your Dental Records
Once you have your dental records, HIPAA clearly defines what you can do from there. Here are a few things you’re allowed to do:
Summary
You have a right to access and get copies of your medical records, and that includes the ones at your dentist. You will need to fill out some paperwork and possibly pay a small fee, depending on whether you want paper copies of your chart mailed to you or if you want to access them digitally.
Call your dentist’s office and find out what information they have and what they need from you before they can release your dental records.
3 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Your rights under HIPAA.American Dental Association.Releasing dental records.American Dental Association.Copying and/or transferring records.
3 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Your rights under HIPAA.American Dental Association.Releasing dental records.American Dental Association.Copying and/or transferring records.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Your rights under HIPAA.American Dental Association.Releasing dental records.American Dental Association.Copying and/or transferring records.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.Your rights under HIPAA.
American Dental Association.Releasing dental records.
American Dental Association.Copying and/or transferring records.
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