Medical Records

The Harris County Hospital District maintains medical records for a period of 10 years after the patient's last visit. Patient medical records can be obtained from the appropriate hospital's Health Information Management Department.

The Health Information Management Department is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Persons authorized to receive copies of a patient's medical record include:

• The patient,
• The legal guardian, if the patient is a minor
• The spouse or legal guardian, if the patient is unable to request the record

Proof of next-of-kin must be provided if the patient is not married and is unable to personally sign the records request.

In order to request a medical record, you may either write a letter or come to the medical records department. If you write a letter of request, you will need to include the following information:

• Patient's full name
• Patient's date of birth
• Patient's social security number
• Patient's dates of treatment
• Patient's signature
• Indicate what pages of the medical record you are requesting
• The reason for the request

Copies may be mailed to the requesting party or picked up at the Health Information Management Department. After your request is received, please allow 7-10 working days to complete the process before picking up your copies. There may be a minimal charge for copies of your record.

The Harris County Hospital District maintains medical records for a period of 10 years after the patient's last visit.