MINNEAPOLIS, March 17, 2008— The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has raised the amount health care providers may charge patients for providing them copies of non-current patient health records.

The annual inflationary change reflects a 3-cent per-page increase for each copy and a 39-cent increase in the one-time retrieval fee.

The maximum amount providers may charge in 2008 to copy records, per page, is $1.18. The maximum one-time fee they may charge for retrieving and copying the information is $15.44. Providers may charge the actual cost of reproducing X-rays.

Under state law, MDH’s Minnesota Health Information Clearinghouse computes the amounts by applying annual changes in the regional Consumer Price Index (CPI) to charges set previously by the Legislature.

Providers may not charge patients for copies of their own medical records “for purposes of reviewing current medical care.” However, the law does not specify what constitutes “current care,” MDH said. Therefore, MDH advises providers to set a policy stipulating what the facility considers current care. Some providers set the period at one month or one year, for example.

To view a table on the charge increases over time, visit this site.