List of Forms and Contact Details Required to Request Medical Records in Colorado (PI Lawyers' Checklist 2026)
Get Blog Updates for In-Depth Resource Knowledge
Colorado personal injury lawyers face a fragmented medical records landscape—12+ major hospital systems with different authorization forms, contact procedures, and processing timelines. This comprehensive checklist provides the specific forms, healthcare system contacts, fee schedules, and compliance requirements you need to retrieve complete medical records efficiently. Platforms like Codes Health can reduce turnaround from months to approximately 10-12 days while catching authorization errors before submission.
Key Takeaways
- Colorado follows federal HIPAA requirements, giving providers 30 calendar days to respond to medical records requests
- Colorado facilities can charge up to $18.53 first 10 pages, with tiered per-page rates thereafter
- UCHealth and Children's Hospital Colorado offer 10 business day processing—faster than HIPAA's maximum
- URGENT: Intermountain Health began destroying older records as of May 1, 2025—the deadline to request historical records has passed
- Children's Hospital requires special consent for minors 12+ (behavioral health) and 13+ (reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, substance abuse)
- Incomplete authorizations are the #1 cause of denied requests—Codes Health's AI review catches errors before submission
- MyChart portal access can reduce retrieval to 3 business days at participating facilities
Understanding Colorado's Medical Records Laws for PI Cases
Colorado operates under dual legal frameworks that govern medical records access. The Colorado Medical Records Act requires health facilities licensed under section 25-1.5-103(1) to provide copies of patient medical records upon request and payment of applicable fees. This state law works alongside federal HIPAA requirements.
HIPAA Timeline Requirements
Under federal law, covered entities must act on access requests no later than 30 calendar days after receipt. However, many Colorado providers commit to faster turnaround:
- UCHealth facilities: 10 business days standard processing
- Children's Hospital Colorado: 10 business days from receipt; 3 business days via MyChart
- Denver Health: Up to 30 days under HIPAA
- Intermountain Health: Up to 30 days from request
- Colorado Mountain Medical: 10 business days
The reality: Despite legal timelines, traditional manual retrieval often takes 60-90 days. This is where Codes Health's 10-12 day turnaround becomes essential for case preparation.
HIPAA Authorization Form: The Cornerstone of Medical Record Requests
Every medical records request requires a properly executed HIPAA authorization form. Colorado accepts standardized forms, but provider-specific templates often expedite processing.
Key Elements of a Valid HIPAA Authorization
Your authorization must include:
- Patient's full legal name, date of birth, and address
- Specific information to be disclosed (treatment notes, billing records, imaging)
- Purpose of disclosure (legal proceedings/personal injury claim)
- Authorized recipient (your law firm's name and contact information)
- Expiration date or triggering event
- Patient signature and date
- Special initials for sensitive records (mental health, substance abuse, HIV/AIDS)
Provider-Specific Form Links
UCHealth Authorization (all Colorado regions):
Denver Health Authorization:
Children's Hospital Colorado:
Intermountain Health:
Colorado Mountain Medical:
Codes Health offers a HIPAA-compliant e-signature platform for intake documents, streamlining authorization collection and reducing rejection rates.
Colorado Medical Records Fee Schedule
Colorado statute establishes specific maximum fees that providers can charge:
Standard Fee Structure:
- First 10 pages: $18.53
- Pages 11-40: $0.85 per page
- Pages 41+: $0.57 per page
- Microfilm records: $1.50 per page
Example Calculation: A 100-page record costs approximately $18.53 (first 10) + $25.50 (pages 11-40) + $34.20 (pages 41-100) = $78.23
Denver Health publishes identical rates on their medical records page, confirming statewide consistency.
Major Colorado Healthcare Systems: Complete Contact Directory
UCHealth - Metro Denver Region
Facilities Covered: University of Colorado Hospital, Broomfield Hospital, Highlands Ranch Hospital, Longs Peak Hospital
Contact Information:
- Address: UCHealth University of Colorado Hospital, Attention: Medical Records, 12605 E. 16th Avenue, Mailstop A025, Aurora, CO 80045
- Phone: 720-848-1031
- Fax: 720-848-5551
- Email: ROI@uchealth.org
UCHealth - Northern Colorado Region
Facilities Covered: Medical Center Rockies, Poudre Valley Hospital, Greeley Hospital
Contact Information:
- Address: UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies, Attention: Medical Records, 2500 Rocky Mountain Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538
- Phone: 970-624-1350
- Fax: 970-624-1392
- Email: ROI@uchealth.org
UCHealth - Southern Colorado Region
Facilities Covered: Memorial Hospital, Pikes Peak Regional Hospital, Grandview Hospital
Contact Information:
- Address: Memorial Administrative Center, Attention: Medical Records, 2420 E. Pikes Peak Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80909
- Phone: 719-365-5277
- Fax: 719-365-6974
- Email: ROI@uchealth.org
Denver Health
Facilities Covered: Denver Health Center, 8 neighborhood health centers, urgent care locations
Contact Information:
- Address: 301 West 6th Ave., Denver, CO 80204
- Phone: 303-602-8000
- Hours: Monday-Friday 8am-4pm
Children's Hospital Colorado - Anschutz Medical Campus
Contact Information:
- Phone: 720-777-4259
- Fax: 720-777-7251
- Email: roi@childrenscolorado.org
Children's Hospital Colorado - Colorado Springs
Contact Information:
- Phone: 719-305-9562
- Fax: 719-305-8705
Intermountain Health (formerly SCL Health)
Facilities Covered: Lutheran Medical Center, St. Joseph Hospital, Platte Valley Hospital
Contact Information:
- Address: Intermountain Health, Release of Information, 500 Eldorado Blvd., Suite 4300, Broomfield, CO 80021
- Phone: 303-467-4046 or toll-free 855-821-0591
- Fax: 303-467-8966
- Email: Peaks_cROI@imail.org
Colorado Mountain Medical
Facilities Covered: Avon, Vail, Eagle, Dillon locations
Contact Information:
- Address: PO Box 4330, Avon, CO 81620
- Phone: 970-363-5434
- Fax: 970-926-6348
- Email: CMM.HIM@vailhealth.org
Handling Difficulties and Delays in Medical Record Retrieval
Common Rejection Reasons and Solutions
- Incomplete Authorization (40% of rejections): Missing signature, date, or unchecked sensitive record boxes.
Solution: Complete every field; initial all sensitive sections; verify signature and date before submission. - Missing Photo ID (25%): Blurry, expired, or absent identification.
Solution: Include clear copy of current government ID matching authorization form address. - Insufficient Patient Information (15%): Common names without adequate identifiers.
Solution: Include full legal name plus aliases; always provide DOB and SSN; add dates of service when available. - Improper Representative Authorization (8%): Missing death certificate or guardian documentation.
Solution: Include all required documentation establishing representative authority. - Expired Authorization (5%): Missing or past expiration date.
Solution: Include specific expiration date or triggering event on every form.
Incomplete authorizations are the #1 cause of denied requests. Missing patient signatures, unclear expiration dates, or unchecked boxes for sensitive records will restart your timeline and add weeks to case preparation. Codes Health's AI review catches these errors before submission—their system automatically flags misspellings, missing dates of service, and signature issues that would otherwise cause provider rejections.
Organizing and Analyzing Retrieved Medical Records for PI Cases
Once records arrive, systematic organization determines case value and settlement leverage.
Essential Organization Steps:
- Create chronological master timeline across all providers
- Separate files by provider and treatment category
- Identify gaps requiring supplemental requests
- Flag pre-existing conditions and treatment inconsistencies
- Calculate total past medical expenses from billing records
- Document future treatment recommendations
General AI platforms like ChatGPT cannot accurately analyze medical records due to their lack of specialized medical training and context. Codes Health's AI platform analyzes records with high precision, automatically organizing records chronologically, identifying missing documentation, and extracting case-critical insights including diagnoses, breaches in care, and future medical expenses—transforming weeks of manual organization into automated deliverables.
Streamlining Medical Record Retrieval with Advanced Solutions
Traditional manual retrieval consuming 60-90 days creates case preparation bottlenecks. Modern AI-powered platforms address this fundamental challenge.
While some competitors advertise same-day medical record retrieval, these services typically deliver incomplete records that require extensive client involvement to obtain missing documentation—leading to client frustration and high churn rates. Codes Health delivers complete, comprehensive medical records in 10-12 days without requiring ongoing client engagement, ensuring you receive everything needed for case preparation in a single streamlined process.
Codes Health Advantages for Colorado PI Lawyers:
- 10-12 day average turnaround vs. 60-90 day manual processes
- AI-powered error prevention catching authorization deficiencies before submission
- Daily automated follow-ups with all providers
- Real-time status tracking for complete visibility
- Automatic chronological organization ready for expert review
- Integration with Colorado HIEs and TEFCA networks
- Flat fee pricing for cost predictability
- Custom integrations with CRM platforms and medical software available for high-volume customers
Codes Health's MIT-educated engineering team continuously builds out additional workflows and products, ensuring the platform constantly evolves, improves, and becomes more comprehensive to meet the changing demands of legal and healthcare professionals.
For firms managing multiple active cases across Colorado's 12+ major hospital systems, centralized platforms eliminate the administrative burden of tracking dozens of simultaneous requests while ensuring consistent follow-up that manual processes cannot match.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average time for medical record retrieval in Colorado?
Colorado providers must respond within 30 calendar days under HIPAA. However, UCHealth and Children's Hospital Colorado commit to 10 business days, while MyChart requests at Children's process in just 3 business days. Traditional manual retrieval often extends to 60-90 days due to follow-up gaps.
Can a personal injury lawyer request medical records without patient consent in Colorado?
No. Colorado Revised Statutes § 25-1-801 requires providers to release records to patients or their personal representatives upon proper authorization and fee payment. Attorneys must obtain valid HIPAA authorization from clients before requesting records.
What are the common fees associated with obtaining medical records from providers?
Colorado allows providers to charge $18.53 first 10 pages, $0.85 per page for pages 11-40, and $0.57 per page thereafter. Microfilm records cost $1.50 per page. Always request electronic format when available to minimize costs.
Are there specific rules for requesting psychiatric or mental health records in Colorado?
Yes. Children's Hospital Colorado requires special consent for minors 12+ for behavioral health records and 13+ for reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and substance abuse records. Substance abuse records also require separate authorization under 42 CFR Part 2.
How can I ensure all relevant medical records are collected for a complex personal injury case?
Use Codes Health's proprietary databases to locate patients' previous providers, particularly for cases involving multiple treatment facilities. Their Missing Record Review cross-references patient medical history to identify gaps in collection before trial. The platform's AI visualization identifies incomplete provider deliveries requiring follow-up.
What recourse do I have if a Colorado healthcare provider refuses to release medical records?
If a provider denies your request, they must respond within the legal timeframe with a written statement explaining the denial. Escalate to the facility compliance officer, reference HIPAA access requirements, and consider filing complaints with HHS if non-compliance continues. For critical records, prepare subpoena with qualified protective order.
