Birth Injury Answers

Medical records request builder

The short answer

Fill in the boxes and this writes two letters: one for your records and one for your baby's. They are separate charts and they need separate requests.

The letters name every document individually, including the ones stored in separate systems that get left out of a general request. 1

The numbers, up front

Your right of access
Federal rules give you the right to inspect and get a copy of your own health information, and a parent is generally the personal representative of their minor child 2
The deadline
A provider must act on the request within 30 days, with one 30 day extension allowed if they tell you the reason and the new date 1
What they may charge
A reasonable, cost-based fee covering copying labor, supplies and postage 1
What they may not charge
A search or retrieval fee. Federal guidance is explicit that costs associated with searching for and retrieving records may not be charged 1
Electronic copies
If the record is held electronically and you ask for an electronic copy, it must be provided in that form if readily producible 2
Why two letters
The mother's chart and the baby's chart are separate records, often in separate systems and sometimes at separate facilities 1

This tool runs entirely in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere, stored on any server, or seen by anyone including us. There is no analytics on this page. Nothing is saved when you close the page. You can check this yourself: turn off your internet connection and the tool still works.

Nothing you type here leaves your device. The letters are built in your browser. Close the page and everything is gone.

If you had prenatal care somewhere other than the hospital, send a separate request there too. If your baby was transferred, request from both hospitals.

Your details
Your child

If your baby was recorded as "Baby Boy" or "Baby Girl" plus a surname, use that.

The facility

About fees and deadlines in your state

The rules in these letters are federal, so they apply everywhere. A provider must act within 30 days, with one 30 day extension allowed. They may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee. They may not charge for searching for or retrieving records. 1 2

Some states go further, setting their own limits on charges, and sometimes shorter deadlines.

This site does not publish a per-state fee table, because we could not verify all 51 against a primary source during this build. That gap is listed in the sources policy. Your state health department or state medical board can tell you the current limit.

Ask for the fee in writing before they begin, whatever your state.

What to do when the records arrive short

This happens often, and it is usually a system problem rather than a refusal.

  1. Check what arrived against the numbered list in your letter. That is what the numbering is for.
  2. Write back naming what is missing, referring to the item number and the date of your original request.
  3. Ask where a missing document is held. Monitoring archives, anesthesia records and pathology reports live in different systems, and the person handling your request may not know the others exist.
  4. If told a record does not exist, ask for that in writing.
  5. If access is denied, federal rules give you the right to request a review of certain denials, and you can file a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights. 1

Then read how to read your labor and delivery records.

Questions parents ask

Does asking for records mean I am suing?

No. They are your records and your child's medical history, and you will need them for specialists, for school and for every new doctor for years. Requesting them commits you to nothing. 1

Why two letters?

Because the mother's chart and the baby's chart are separate records, usually in separate systems and sometimes at separate facilities. A single request often returns only one of them. 1

Why does the letter name so many documents?

Because a general request returns a summary. The documents that carry the most information, including the fetal monitoring archive, the anesthesia record, the resuscitation record and the placental pathology report, are held in separate systems and are routinely left out unless named.

Is anything I type here sent anywhere?

No. The letters are built in your browser using a script on your device. There is no server involved, no analytics on this page, and nothing is stored. You can turn off your internet connection and the tool still works.

Where these facts come from

  1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights. Individuals Right under HIPAA to Access their Health Information, 45 CFR 164.524. 2024. www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/access/. Link checked September 3, 2026.
  2. U.S. Government Publishing Office, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 45 CFR 164.524, Access of individuals to protected health information. 2025. www.ecfr.gov/current/title-45/subtitle-A/subchapter-C/part-1. Link checked September 3, 2026.