I have done this as standard practice to both requesting physicians and insurance companies for the past two years. I enclose the following letter with the CD:

Quote
The medical records that you requested are contained as digital Portable Document Format (PDF) files on the enclosed CD-ROM. These files may be displayed on any computer with a CD-ROM drive, by using the free Adobe PDF Reader software. If your computer does not have this program, you may download it from:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

In addition, the Adobe PDF Reader software will allow printing of all or selected records on any printer, if you require hard copies. If you are unable to use the enclosed records in a digital form, please call us and we will mail paper copies.

Our policy is to enclose all records for the latest two years that the patient was seen in our office, unless a specific group of records is requested. If you require additional records, please call, and we will provide them promptly. An additional release of information will not be required.

Only a handful of requestors have contacted us for paper copies.

We don't charge requesting physician's offices. Otherwise, we charge the maximum allowed by Florida law. Patients and government entities pay $1/page for the first 25 pages, 25 cents/page over 25 pages. Insurance companies, etc. pay $1/page. I have found that the staff time for assembling and mailing either paper copies or burning the PDFs is about the same.

John
Internal Medicine