Dr.'s Office Wants to Charge a Fee for Releasing Medical Records to Underwriting

[beachbum2012]

I'm filling out a medsupp app with CSI and apparently they doctor's office wants to charge $35 to put the time in to get the applicant's medical records to CSI's underwriting department. They're not requesting the applicant's entire medical records, just the relevant ones to her app.

Have you guys ever come across this? Any advice to work around it? Can't the underwriting department get her necessary from the MIB instead?

 

[somarco]

Have run into it a few times. I tell the client if they want the coverage they need to pay the doc.

MIB has almost nothing worthwhile to an underwriter beyond indicating life or health insurance applications in the last 5 (or maybe 7) years and whether or not the app was declined, rated or issued.

 

[Arthur Rudnick]

originally posted by beachbum2012

I'm filling out a medsupp app with CSI and apparently they doctor's office wants to charge $35 to put the time in to get the applicant's medical records to CSI's underwriting department. They're not requesting the applicant's entire medical records, just the relevant ones to her app.

Have you guys ever come across this? Any advice to work around it? Can't the underwriting department get her necessary from the MIB instead?

Normally, it's the carrier that will request and pay for medical records. It's considered a normal cost of doing business and included in their cost of medical underwriting.

A doctor has every right to charge for sending out a patient's medical records.
The applicant should not be charged.

MIB reports will not show the medical records that the carrier needs to look at.

 

[MGBAgency]

originally posted by beachbum2012



Normally, it's the carrier that will request and pay for medical records. It's considered a normal cost of doing business and included in their cost of medical underwriting.

A doctor has every right to charge for sending out a patient's medical records.
The applicant should not be charged.

MIB reports will not show the medical records that the carrier needs to look at.

You know for a fact it's not against the law? HIPPA, xyz, etc.

 

[Arthur Rudnick]

originally posted by MGBAgency

You know for a fact it's not against the law? HIPPA, xyz, etc.

A HIPPA form or a medical records release form must be signed in any event, even for a MIB information request.

As far as a doctor's office charging for a copy of medical records, the law allows a charge of $0.75 per page, plus a service fee.

 

[kstein]

I'd say you are probably looking at a decline if they ask for records, I've only had 1-2 out of many that asked for records and it never ended favorably.

Maybe look at a different carrier, unless that is common for them.

 

[jacobtn]

Anytime they want to order records on a med sup I always put it to another carrier as mentioned it's always a decline in most cases and if nothing else just takes too long. It seems odd to me that any carrier would order records on a medsup application, almost like ordering an APS on a final expense product for a $10,000 face amount it doesn't make sense unless a large policy over 250k.

 

[mickeyma]

Standard procedure for doctors to charge a fee for releasing medical records here in Los Angeles. Been doing that since I started selling insurance in 1979.

 

[somarco]

Sometimes carriers will only pay $15 - $25 and the doc wants more. I have seen them tell the carrier to up the ante if they want the records. Sometimes the carrier pays extra, sometimes not. That's when I have gone back to the client and let them decide if they want to pony up the difference or not.