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Committee approves cap on electronic medical‑record fees after industry‑patient negotiations
Summary
House Bill 495 would cap charges for electronic copies of medical records at a maximum flat amount (committee described it as up to $90) and extend previous reforms to hospitals; the subcommittee advanced the bill 7-0.
House Bill 495, sponsored by Chairman Baum, would set a maximum charge for electronic copies of medical records and make additional adjustments to how fees and certification charges are applied. The subcommittee voted 7-0 to advance the bill.
Baum told the committee that the law currently specifies per‑page fees that were written for paper records and do not reflect modern, electronic delivery. He said sample invoices showed patients or their representatives being charged thousands of dollars for records; the bill is a negotiated compromise between hospitals (and their contractors) and patient representatives. "What this bill does is it puts in code caps for electronic versions of the medical records," Baum said. He explained the cap is intended for electronic delivery, noting the existing code contemplates per‑page charges that can be excessive when applied to emailed PDFs containing many pages.
Attorney John Spraggins testified in support, explaining that when an attorney or other representative requests records, HIPAA and federal law permit a fee but negotiated caps were reached to avoid extreme invoices for electronic records. Committee members asked whether the $90 figure is a flat fee or a maximum; legal staff said the bill's language states "no more than $90" for all electronic medical records, and that the statute retains per‑page rules for paper copies. Legal staff also confirmed that charging no fee at all remains an option.
The clerk recorded 7 ayes, 0 nays and one member present not voting on a separate bill earlier; for this item the committee announced the ayes and the measure "moves on to health full."
