Connecticut medical records laws

How Connecticut differs from federal HIPAA

• Hard cap of $0.65 per page including research and handling, rather than HIPAA's open cost-based standard.
• Same 30-day deadline as HIPAA but no state 30-day extension.
• Free copies for Social Security and veterans' benefit claims (not required by HIPAA).
• Hospitals may not deny records because a patient cannot pay.

How long a provider has to respond

A Connecticut provider must furnish a copy of your health record within 30 days of your written request; the state statute has no extension (HIPAA's 30-day extension does not lengthen the stricter state deadline).(Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-7c, CT Office of Health Strategy — Get medical record copies)

What a provider can charge

Providers and hospitals may charge no more than 65 cents per page, which includes research and handling, plus first-class postage; x-ray copies may be charged at cost of materials. Copies are free for Social Security or veterans' benefit claims with documentation.(Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-7c, Conn. Gen. Stat. § 19a-490b)

Paper copies

$0.65 per page (all-inclusive) plus first-class postage

Electronic copies

Statute does not separately address electronic copies; the $0.65/page cap is the only state rule, and HIPAA's cost-based limits also apply.

When copies are free

Free when the record is needed to support a Social Security Act claim or appeal or a veterans' benefits claim and the request includes documentation of it; no charge for copying records the patient brought from another provider; hospitals/institutions may not deny records because of inability to pay.

A provider cannot refuse to give you your records because you owe money for treatment. Compare every state on the medical records fees by state page.

How long records must be kept

• Physicians and other DPH-licensed practitioners: 7 years from the last date of treatment; 3 years after the patient's death(Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 19a-14-42)
• Short-term general hospitals: Minimum of 10 years after discharge (originals may be destroyed earlier if preserved by an accepted process)(Regs. Conn. State Agencies § 19-13-D3(d)(6))

Minors and sensitive records

• Minors: No minor-specific access rule was found in § 20-7c or § 19a-490b; parents generally act as the minor's personal representative under HIPAA, except where state law lets the minor consent to the care.(45 CFR 164.524)
• mental health: The § 20-7c access and fee rules do not apply to psychiatric or psychological information, which is governed by separate state privilege law.(Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-7c)

If a provider doesn't comply

If a provider withholds information as harmful to the patient's health, the patient may petition the superior court within 30 days of the refusal. No general state private right of action for fee or deadline violations was found; HIPAA has none — file with HHS OCR or the DPH.(Conn. Gen. Stat. § 20-7c)

• Connecticut Department of Public Health — Practitioner Investigations Unit

  physicians and other licensed practitioners (complaints against physicians/PAs must be notarized) · 860-509-7552

• Connecticut Department of Public Health — Facility Licensing and Investigations Section

  hospitals, surgical centers, nursing homes and other facilities

• HHS Office for Civil Rights

  HIPAA violations by any covered entity, within 180 days

How to request your records in Connecticut

1. Ask the provider's medical records (health information) department for its request form, or write your own request with your name, date of birth, dates of care, the records you want, and the format (paper or electronic).
2. Keep a copy and note the date — the 30 days clock runs from when the provider receives it.
3. If the deadline passes or the bill exceeds the rules above, use the complaint routes on this page.

Templates and step-by-step help are on the records-access hub. Find a Connecticut hospital's records office, or browse hospitals in Connecticut.

Common questions about Connecticut medical records