How to Access Your Medical History

Every medical facility that has ever treated you, has a medical record of that treatment. Compile all those medical records into a single file or document and you have a medical history. Unless a person has only been treated in a single medical facility since birth, this will require contacting and retrieving medical records from multiple sources.

Get Ready

Prepare a list of all medical facilities that have provided you with treatment. Check to see if any of these practices have been sold or merged with other practices. The contact information may have changed from the time the services were provided. A complete list of medical facilities should include clinics, hospitals, chiropractors, pharmacies, dentists and therapists, among others.

Contact every medical facility where you’ve been treated and request your medical records. According to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, patients are allowed copies of their records, although the physical record is the property of the clinic. The medical facility is allowed to charge a reasonable fee for furnishing the copy.

Organize your individual medical records into a medical history. Chronological order is common, starting with birth and proceeding to your most current medical treatments.