Wyoming medical records laws

How Wyoming differs from federal HIPAA

• Physicians: 30-day deadline with no extension, enforced through Board of Medicine discipline; HIPAA allows one 30-day extension.
• Otherwise Wyoming follows HIPAA: no state fee schedule, and the state hospital records act was repealed in 2019.

How long a provider has to respond

A Wyoming physician who fails or refuses to transfer a copy of your records to you within 30 days of your written request can be disciplined by the Board of Medicine; for hospitals and other providers there is no state rule, so HIPAA's 30 days (plus one 30-day extension with written notice) applies.(Wyo. Stat. § 33-26-402(a)(xxvii)(Q) and (G), 45 CFR 164.524)

What a provider can charge

Wyoming has no state fee schedule for patient copies (its hospital records act was repealed in 2019), so HIPAA applies: a reasonable, cost-based fee limited to labor for copying, supplies, and postage, with no search or retrieval fee.(2019 Wyo. Sess. Laws ch. 78 (SF0096, Enrolled Act No. 53), Wyo. Stat. tit. 35, ch. 2, art. 6, 45 CFR 164.524)

Paper copies

No state per-page cap; HIPAA reasonable cost-based fee applies

Electronic copies

HIPAA cost-based fee (labor, supplies, postage) applies; no state rule.

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.

Minors and sensitive records

• Minors: Under the mental health records statute, a parent or guardian may consent to disclosure for a minor patient.(Wyo. Stat. § 25-10-122)
• mental health: Records made under Wyoming's hospitalization of mentally ill persons act that identify a patient are confidential and may be disclosed only with consent (a parent or guardian for a minor), to carry out the act, by court order, or between designated facilities for referral, treatment, or transfer. The statute does not address the patient's own access.(Wyo. Stat. § 25-10-122)

If a provider doesn't comply

No state private right of action for records access was found; a physician's failure to provide records within 30 days is a ground for Board of Medicine discipline. HIPAA has no private right of action — file with HHS OCR.(Wyo. Stat. § 33-26-402(a)(xxvii)(Q) and (G))

• Wyoming Board of Medicine

  physicians and physician assistants · (307) 778-7053

• HHS Office for Civil Rights

  HIPAA violations by any covered entity, within 180 days

How to request your records in Wyoming

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 Wyoming hospital's records office, or browse hospitals in Wyoming.

Common questions about Wyoming medical records