Talking to a parent's doctor: what HIPAA allows
What if something in my parent's medical record is wrong?
Your parent, or their personal representative, can ask for a correction. HHS says the provider must respond, and must fix what's wrong if it created the information.
HHS says: “If you think the information in your medical or billing record is incorrect, you can request a change, or amendment, to your record. The health care provider or health plan must respond to your request. If it created the information, it must amend inaccurate or incomplete information.”
And if it says no: “you have the right to submit a statement of disagreement that the provider or plan must add to your record.”
The request comes from your parent, or from their personal representative (who that is). Notes you keep of what happened, with dates, can help show what was wrong.
More questions caregivers ask
- Can I get a copy of my parent's medical records?
- Does a health care power of attorney let me see my parent's records?
- Can I talk to my parent's doctor?
- All the questions
From Centis, a free care notebook you talk to. This is general information from HHS’s own pages, not legal advice; state law can make a difference.
Further reading
- Your Medical Records (opens in a new tab), from the US Department of Health and Human Services