How to Get Medical Records from Hospitals in Texas (PI Law Firm's Guide)

Personal injury case timelines can extend significantly when medical record retrieval is delayed beyond 30 days, yet a significant portion of requests experience some form of delay, denial, or complication requiring additional follow-up. For PI firms handling medical-related litigation in Texas, obtaining complete medical records quickly and accurately represents a critical bottleneck in pre-litigation workflow. Medical records serve as primary evidence in personal injury cases, directly impacting settlement values and case outcomes.

Texas law grants patients broad rights to access their medical records, but practical challenges including understaffed medical records departments, multi-facility record locations, and authorization issues create significant delays. Modern AI-powered platforms like Codes Health address these obstacles through automated retrieval with a 10-12 day average turnaround, AI error checking that catches incomplete authorizations before submission, and missing record reviews that ensure completeness before trial.

Key Takeaways

• Federal HIPAA requires providers to respond to medical record requests within 30 days, with one 30-day extension if notified in writing; Texas law separately requires covered entities to provide access within 15 business days
• Incomplete authorizations can cause initial request denials—missing signatures, unclear expiration dates, or unchecked boxes restart your timeline
• Complete medical documentation strengthens settlement negotiations compared to cases with incomplete records
• Codes Health's AI-powered platform delivers complete medical records in 10-12 days with automated error checking that prevents common rejection causes
• Multi-facility hospital systems often require multiple separate record requests for complete documentation across all treatment locations
• Flat fee—predictable costs for PI cases (no per-page surprises).
• Same-day competitor pulls are not complete and require client involvement; Codes Health delivers complete records in 10–12 days.
• General AI can’t reliably analyze medical records; Codes Health’s medical-grade AI surfaces litigation-grade insights with high precision.

Your Legal Right to Access Patient Medical Records in Texas

Texas law establishes clear patient rights to medical record access through both state statutes and federal HIPAA protections. Under Texas Health and Safety Code Chapter 241 and hospital licensing rules, along with Texas Medical Board rules for physicians, healthcare providers must provide patients with copies of their medical records upon request.

HIPAA provides federal protections giving patients the right to obtain copies within 30 days of a request, with one 30-day extension permitted if notified in writing. For personal injury attorneys, this legal framework establishes the foundation for obtaining client medical records essential for case building.

Who Can Request Medical Records on Behalf of a Client

Personal injury attorneys must obtain a signed HIPAA authorization from their clients to request medical records legally. A proper HIPAA authorization must include specific elements:

• Description of information to be used or disclosed
• The person authorized to make the disclosure
• The purpose of disclosure
• An expiration date
• The patient's signature

The authorization enables attorneys to request records directly from healthcare providers without client presence. This distinction matters significantly for PI firms managing multiple cases simultaneously.

Texas-Specific Medical Records Laws

Texas limits what hospitals can charge for medical records under Texas Health & Safety Code § 241.154. Maximum hospital fees are updated and published by Texas Health & Human Services (hospital fee schedule). Physician copy fees are set by Texas Medical Board rule.

Texas law also mandates record retention periods. Hospitals may dispose of adult patient records on or after the 10th anniversary of the last treatment/discharge. For minors, hospitals must keep records until the patient reaches age 20 or 10 years after last treatment—whichever is later, according to the Texas Health & Safety Code § 241.103. Physicians must retain records for at least 7 years from the last treatment for adults; for minors, until age 21 or 7 years after last treatment—whichever is longer, based on 22 TAC § 163.2 – Medical Record Retention. These retention requirements are particularly important for PI cases involving historical injuries or long-term medical conditions.

Understanding Texas Medical Records Request Forms and Requirements

HIPAA-compliant authorization forms represent the gateway to successful medical record retrieval. Incomplete or improper forms account for the majority of provider rejections, adding weeks or months to case timelines.

Essential Elements Every Texas Medical Records Request Must Include

Every medical records authorization must contain specific required elements to avoid automatic denial:

• Patient's full legal name and date of birth
• Specific records requested (discharge summaries, physician notes, lab results, imaging reports)
• Date range of treatment (specific start and end dates)
• Provider name and facility location
• Purpose of request (legal representation, personal injury claim)
• Authorized recipient name and address
• Patient's signature (original or electronic per provider policy)
• Authorization expiration date
• Date signed

Missing even one element triggers rejection. The authorization scope should be broad enough to capture all injury-related treatment while remaining specific to avoid unnecessary records and costs.

Common Form Errors That Cause Provider Rejections

Incomplete authorizations is the leading cause of denied requests. Missing patient signatures, unclear expiration dates, or unchecked boxes for sensitive records will restart your timeline.

Most frequent rejection causes include:

• Missing or invalid signatures
• Missing dates of service or vague date ranges
• Misspelled patient names that don't match hospital records exactly
• Incorrect or incomplete facility addresses
• Missing authorization for mental health or substance abuse records
• Unsigned or undated forms
• Expired authorizations submitted after expiration date

Codes Health's AI catches these errors before submission—their system automatically flags misspellings, missing dates of service, and signature issues that would otherwise cause provider rejections. This proactive error checking prevents delays that compound into weeks or months of case timeline extension.

How to Find Old Medical Records Online in Texas

Texas hospitals are increasingly offering patient portals that provide immediate electronic access to medical records, lab results, and imaging reports. Approximately 96% of U.S. hospitals now use electronic health records (EHRs), facilitating faster record retrieval for recent treatment.

Texas Health Information Exchanges and Digital Record Access

Health Information Exchanges (HIEs) enable electronic sharing of medical records across different healthcare systems. While approximately 90% of large hospital systems now offer portal access, complete records including imaging, operative reports, and multi-provider records often still require formal requests.

Digital delivery methods have increased substantially in recent years, reducing wait times from weeks to hours for certain record types. However, PI firms should understand that portal access typically provides only partial documentation.

Locating Former Providers for Historical Records

Cases involving multiple treatment facilities or years of medical history require identifying all previous providers. Large Texas hospital systems may have treatment records stored at multiple facilities, requiring separate requests to each location.

Emergency care, specialist visits, and transfers between facilities create fragmented records. Multi-facility hospital systems often require multiple separate record requests for complete documentation.

Codes Health employs proprietary databases to locate patients' previous providers and integrates with HIEs, TEFCA networks, and EHR systems for digital record access. This comprehensive approach ensures no treatment history gets overlooked in case preparation.

How to Find Old Medical Records from Childhood for PI Cases

Birth injury cases, long-term medical malpractice claims, and cases involving childhood accidents require decades of medical documentation. Texas hospitals must retain adult patient records for at least 10 years from discharge, with longer periods for minors (until age 20 or 10 years post-discharge, whichever is longer). Physicians must retain records for at least 7 years for adults; for minors, until age 21 or 7 years after last treatment, whichever is longer.

Texas Medical Records Retention Requirements by Provider Type

Different healthcare providers maintain varying retention schedules:

• Hospitals: Minimum 10 years for adults; until age 20 or 10 years post-discharge for minors, whichever is longer
• Physician practices: At least 7 years for adults; for minors, until age 21 or 7 years after last treatment, whichever is longer
• Imaging centers: 5-7 years for records, longer for actual images
• Mental health facilities: 10+ years for treatment records

Historical records become more difficult to obtain as facilities close, merge, or change ownership. Archived records may require additional processing time and fees beyond standard retrieval costs.

Tracking Down Records from Closed or Merged Hospitals

When hospitals close or merge, medical records typically transfer to successor organizations or state-designated custodians. Texas has over 600 licensed hospitals that must comply with state and federal medical records release requirements, but institutional changes complicate retrieval.

Steps for locating records from defunct providers:

• Contact the Texas Department of State Health Services to identify record custodians
• Search for hospital merger announcements and successor organizations
• Request records from parent health systems that acquired closed facilities
• Check with state medical boards for physician-specific records storage
• Utilize services with proprietary databases that track provider changes

Codes Health cross-references patient medical history to identify gaps in record collection before trial, particularly important for cases requiring decades of medical documentation across multiple facilities and providers.

Step-by-Step: Traditional Medical Record Retrieval Methods

Despite advances in digital access, traditional fax and mail requests remain necessary for many Texas providers. Understanding standard protocols and follow-up procedures ensures maximum efficiency when electronic methods aren't available.

Standard Texas Hospital Medical Records Department Contact Protocols

Every Texas hospital maintains a medical records department (also called Health Information Management or HIM). Contact information typically appears on hospital websites under patient services or medical records sections.

Submission method best practices:

• Fax: Provides delivery confirmation and fastest processing for many facilities
• Certified mail: Creates paper trail for non-compliance documentation
• Email: Available at some facilities via secure encrypted systems
• In-person: Allows immediate verification of authorization completeness

Document every submission with date, method, and confirmation number. Request written confirmation of receipt and estimated completion date from the medical records department.

How to Follow Up on Delayed Record Requests

Under federal HIPAA, healthcare providers must respond to medical record requests within 30 days, with one 30-day extension permitted if notified in writing. Texas law separately requires covered entities to provide access within 15 business days. Set calendar reminders for appropriate follow-up on every request.

Follow-up escalation timeline:

• Day 15-20: Contact medical records department to check status
• Day 25: Send written follow-up via certified mail
• Day 30-35: Escalate to hospital administration and patient advocate
• Day 40+: File complaint with appropriate agency (see complaint filing section below)

Medical records departments frequently face staffing challenges, creating processing backlogs. Persistent follow-up without aggressive demands maintains productive relationships while ensuring compliance.

Codes Health employs traditional fax retrieval with automated daily follow-ups and real-time status updates for every fax and call, achieving 10-12 day average turnaround versus the months-long timelines of traditional retrieval methods.

Why not same-day?

Same-day services typically pull partial, portal-only records and require client involvement—creating churn and rework. Codes Health retrieves complete records in 10–12 days with a flat fee, purpose-built for PI litigation.

Typical Medical Records Retrieval Timelines and How to Accelerate Them

While HIPAA requires response within 30 days (with one 30-day extension if provided a written notice), practical timelines extend significantly longer. Understanding realistic expectations and acceleration strategies helps PI firms manage case progression effectively.

Texas Legal Deadlines for Medical Records Production

Federal HIPAA law establishes the 30-day baseline with one 30-day extension if the facility provides written notice (total up to 60 days). Texas law separately requires covered entities to provide access within 15 business days. However, incomplete authorizations or other issues can restart the clock when rejections require corrected resubmissions.

Why Most Record Requests Take Months Instead of Days

Despite legal requirements, a significant portion of requests experience delays beyond required timeframes. Contributing factors include:

• Understaffed medical records departments with processing backlogs
• Multi-location hospital systems requiring internal record transfers
• Incomplete authorizations requiring correction and resubmission
• Provider non-response to initial requests
• Lost or misdirected faxes in high-volume departments
• Records stored in off-site archival facilities

These delays compound in cases requiring records from multiple providers. A case involving five treatment facilities could easily extend to 4-6 months for complete documentation using traditional methods.

Acceleration strategies for PI firms:

• Submit complete, error-free authorizations using facility-specific forms
• Request records immediately after treatment concludes rather than waiting
• Use multiple submission channels (fax + certified mail) for redundancy
• Establish relationships with medical records department managers
• Leverage technology platforms that automate follow-up and error prevention

Codes Health delivers 10-12 day average turnaround with proactive AI error checking that prevents common delays before they occur, significantly reducing total retrieval time compared to manual methods.

Common Obstacles in Texas Medical Records Retrieval (And Solutions)

Even perfectly submitted requests face obstacles ranging from provider non-response to records claimed not to exist. Understanding common barriers and proven solutions prevents extended delays.

Top Provider Rejection Reasons and How to Prevent Them

Incomplete authorizations lead to initial request denials. Missing signatures, unclear expiration dates, or unchecked sensitive-record boxes restart your Texas 15-business-day clock:

• Common rejection causes with prevention strategies:
• Misspelled patient name — Verify exact spelling matches insurance cards and hospital records.
• Missing date of service — Provide specific treatment dates or hospital admission/discharge dates.
• Unsigned authorization — Ensure valid patient signature (original or electronic per provider policy).
• Wrong facility location — Confirm exact facility name and address for multi-location systems.
• Missing sensitive records authorization — Check boxes for mental health, substance abuse, and HIV records.
• Expired authorization — Use 12-month expiration dates and track expiration for renewals.

Codes Health's AI error checking reviews record requests before submission, catching misspellings, missing dates, and absent signatures that cause the majority of preventable provider rejections.

What to Do When a Texas Hospital Claims Records Don't Exist

When hospitals respond that no records can be located, verify that patient information matches hospital records exactly. Search under maiden names, nicknames, or variations in name spelling. Provide specific treatment dates, admitting physician names, or medical record numbers if available.

Troubleshooting steps for "no records" responses:

• Request written confirmation of search attempts and criteria used
• Verify correct facility location for treatment (emergency vs. main campus)
• Check whether facility merged or changed ownership since treatment
• Contact billing department to confirm treatment dates and providers
• Request review of archived or off-site storage records

Texas hospitals that fail to provide medical records within legal timeframes may face complaints to appropriate regulatory agencies.

Understanding Medical Record Examples and What PI Firms Need

Complete medical documentation extends beyond basic physician notes to include numerous record types, each serving different evidentiary purposes in personal injury cases.

Critical Record Types for Personal Injury Case Building

Medical records serve as primary evidence in personal injury cases. Different record types document various aspects of injury, treatment, and damages:

Essential record categories for PI litigation:

• Emergency department records: Document initial injury presentation, trauma assessment, and acute treatment
• Operative reports: Detail surgical procedures, findings, and complications
• Discharge summaries: Summarize hospital stays, diagnoses, and follow-up recommendations
• Physician notes: Capture ongoing symptoms, treatment responses, and clinical impressions
• Radiology reports: Interpret imaging studies showing fractures, soft tissue injuries, and internal damage
• Laboratory results: Document blood work, toxicology, and diagnostic testing
• Physical therapy records: Track functional limitations and rehabilitation progress
• Billing records: Quantify economic damages and verify treatment provided

Medical Records Versus Billing Records: Why You Need Both

Clinical medical records document treatment and outcomes while billing records verify services rendered and costs incurred. Both prove essential for different aspects of PI cases.

Complete medical documentation strengthens settlement negotiations compared to cases with incomplete records. Missing record types create gaps that opposing counsel exploits to challenge injury severity or treatment necessity.

Codes Health automatically organizes all patient encounters and bills by visit, summarizing thousands of pages into chronological order with links to source materials for verification.

Ensuring Complete Medical Record Collection Before Trial

Incomplete documentation discovered during trial preparation or depositions weakens case value and negotiating position. Proactive completeness verification prevents last-minute scrambles and missed evidence.

How to Identify Gaps in Your Medical Record Collection

Cross-reference received records against all known treatment providers and dates. Look for continuity gaps in treatment chronology, missing follow-up visits, or referenced consultations without corresponding documentation.

Red flags indicating incomplete collection:

• Physician notes referencing imaging studies not included in records
• Discharge summaries mentioning follow-up specialists with no subsequent records
• Medication prescriptions without corresponding provider visit notes
• Billing records showing services not documented in clinical records
• Treatment timeline gaps of weeks or months between documented visits
• Operative reports without corresponding pre-operative or post-operative notes

Multi-facility hospital systems create particular completeness challenges, often requiring multiple separate record requests for complete documentation across all treatment locations.

The Cost of Missing Records in Personal Injury Settlement Negotiations

Incomplete medical records can weaken settlement negotiations when documentation gaps undermine injury claims or treatment necessity evidence. Opposing counsel exploits missing records to challenge causation, suggest treatment gaps indicate injury wasn't serious, or argue undocumented treatment wasn't medically necessary.

Complete documentation before demand letter submission strengthens negotiating position and reduces settlement delays. Cases with comprehensive medical records resolve more quickly than those requiring supplemental record requests mid-negotiation.

Codes Health cross-references patient medical history to identify gaps in record collection before trial, preventing last-minute discovery of incomplete documentation that undermines case value.

Extracting Case-Critical Insights from Texas Medical Records

Obtaining complete records represents only the first step. PI firms must analyze thousands of pages to identify case-critical facts including pre-existing conditions, treatment gaps, and damages documentation.

Red Flags Personal Injury Attorneys Should Look for in Medical Records

Medical records contain subtle indicators that significantly impact case value and litigation strategy. Identifying these elements requires careful review of clinical documentation.

Critical medical record findings for PI cases:

• Pre-existing conditions: Prior injuries or conditions to same body region that defense will argue caused current symptoms
• Missed appointments: Treatment gaps suggesting injury wasn't as severe as claimed
• Inconsistent histories: Variations in how accident mechanism is described across different providers
• Treatment non-compliance: Failure to follow medical advice that defense uses to argue comparative negligence
• Alternative injury mechanisms: Documentation of other accidents or traumas during treatment period
• Substance use: Drug or alcohol findings that complicate causation arguments

Identifying Pre-Existing Conditions That Impact Case Value

Pre-existing conditions don't preclude recovery but require careful documentation of aggravation or exacerbation. Medical records must clearly distinguish baseline condition from accident-related worsening.

Complete documentation strengthens settlement negotiations, but only when reviewed thoroughly to identify both favorable evidence and potential defense arguments.

Manual review of thousands of pages proves time-intensive and risks missing critical details. Codes Health's AI specifically flags breaches in care, identifies future medical expenses, and surfaces hidden case facts like missed appointments and pre-existing conditions from unstructured records that human reviewers might overlook.

General chat AIs aren’t designed for clinical documentation. Codes Health’s medical-record–specific models structure encounters, reconcile bills, and surface gaps with high precision for legal strategy.

How Codes Health Streamlines Medical Record Retrieval for PI Firms

Personal injury firms face a fundamental pre-litigation bottleneck: obtaining complete medical records quickly and accurately while managing high case volumes. Traditional retrieval methods create significant delays in many cases, extending settlement timelines and reducing case throughput.

For high-volume firms, Codes Health builds custom CRM and medical-software integrations to automate intake, sync status, and route documents. General chat AIs aren’t designed for clinical documentation. Codes Health’s medical-record–specific models structure encounters, reconcile bills, and surface gaps with high precision for legal strategy.

Codes Health operates an AI-powered medical record retrieval and analysis platform designed specifically for personal injury law firms. The platform combines multiple retrieval channels with automated error prevention and AI-powered case analysis to deliver complete, analysis-ready documentation in 10-12 days.

An MIT-educated engineering team continually expands workflows and products so the platform keeps pace with legal and healthcare demands.

Automated Error Prevention That Stops Delays Before They Start

Codes Health's AI reviews every record request before submission, automatically flagging:

• Misspelled patient names that won't match provider records
• Missing dates of service that cause automatic rejections
• Absent signatures or expired authorization dates
• Incomplete facility addresses for multi-location systems
• Unchecked boxes for sensitive record categories

This proactive error checking prevents rejections that would otherwise add 2-4 weeks to retrieval timelines. The system catches errors before submission rather than discovering them through provider rejections.

Complete Record Collection with Missing Record Review

Multi-facility hospital systems often require multiple separate record requests for complete documentation. Codes Health employs proprietary databases to locate patients' previous providers and cross-references patient medical history to identify gaps in record collection before trial.

The platform integrates with health information exchanges (HIEs), TEFCA networks, and EHR systems while maintaining traditional fax retrieval capabilities. This multi-channel approach ensures complete documentation regardless of provider technology adoption.

Daily automated follow-ups with all providers ensure persistent pursuit of outstanding records without manual staff intervention. Real-time status updates provide complete visibility into request status for every fax and call made on behalf of your firm.

AI-Powered Case Analysis Ready for Immediate Use

Codes Health automatically organizes, compiles, and summarizes case records into chronological order. All patient encounters and bills are grouped and summarized by visit, enabling rapid navigation through thousands of pages of medical documentation.

The insights extraction engine specifically identifies case-critical elements for personal injury litigation:

• Breaches in care that support negligence claims
• Future medical expenses supported by documentation
• Pre-existing conditions requiring case strategy adjustments
• Missed appointments that defense counsel will exploit
• Treatment gaps and inconsistencies in medical histories

This analysis-ready format eliminates weeks of paralegal review time, allowing attorneys to evaluate case merit and develop strategy immediately upon record receipt. The platform operates as a combination of nurse, paralegal, and assistant within a single system.

For personal injury firms ready to eliminate pre-litigation bottlenecks, Codes Health offers a flat fee structure that consolidates retrieval costs, technology expenses, and analysis time into predictable case expenses. Complete documentation in 10-12 days with verified AI insights transforms settlement timelines and case capacity.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to get medical records from a Texas hospital?

Under federal HIPAA, healthcare providers must respond to medical record requests within 30 days, with one 30-day extension permitted if notified in writing (total up to 60 days). Texas law separately requires covered entities to provide access within 15 business days. However, a significant portion of requests experience delays beyond required timeframes due to incomplete authorizations, understaffed departments, or provider non-response. AI-powered platforms like Codes Health deliver complete records in 10-12 days through automated follow-up and error prevention.

What information do I need to request medical records in Texas?

A proper HIPAA authorization must include the patient's full legal name and date of birth, specific records requested, date range of treatment, provider name and facility location, purpose of request, authorized recipient information, patient's signature (original or electronic per provider policy), authorization expiration date, and date signed. Missing even one element triggers rejection.

What should I do if a Texas hospital refuses to release medical records?

Contact the medical records department to identify the specific reason for refusal and address any authorization deficiencies. Escalate non-compliance by sending written requests via certified mail to hospital administration and patient advocates. For HIPAA access issues, file complaints with the HHS Office for Civil Rights. For physician office non-compliance with Texas rules, contact the Texas Medical Board. For hospital/facility complaints, contact Texas HHS Health Care Facility Complaints.

Can a personal injury lawyer request my medical records without me being present?

Yes, personal injury attorneys can request medical records without client presence when they have a signed HIPAA authorization. The proper authorization must include specific elements including description of information requested, authorized recipient, purpose of disclosure, expiration date, and patient's signature to comply with federal and Texas requirements.