One thing that is always needed to evaluate a potential medical malpractice claim is your medical records. If you feel malpractice has occurred you can request a copy of your medical records. State law gives each patient the right to a copy of his/her medical records. These can be obtained by making a request to the facility. Depending on the facility these requests can be done in person, by phone, or in writing.
Which records you will want to request depends on your situation. For example you may want to include medical records from the treating physician, the pharmacist, your family doctor, the ambulance, the specialist, or others. If requesting a large set of records from a hospital you may want to initially just ask for the discharge summary – which summarizes the hospital stay. You might request records from a number of providers.
Sometimes there is a copy charge for these records and the facility will need your patient information including your name, date of birth, social security number, patient or account number, and dates of service. These records will help the attorney evaluate your potential malpractice claim or will be beneficial in keeping your personal medical file.
Office Manager Kristi