Halifax woman says copies of family medical records will cost hundreds

A Halifax woman is outraged after learning she would have to pay hundreds of dollars to access copies of her family’s medical records.

Cornelia Schneider recently received a letter that her doctor is closing their practice and leaving the Maritimes. If being without a family doctor isn’t difficult enough, she now has to pay a fee to access her medical records.

“That same letter also stated that our medical records would go into storage with some company,” Schneider tells CTV Atlantic.

The company, Docudavit Solutions, is used by doctors to store patient records, a common practice to ensure medical information is kept secure.

Schneider says the cost, $95 for adults and $65 for children, is simply too much.

According to the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Nova Scotia, doctors are strongly encouraged to securely retain original records for ten years.

That’s where companies like Docudavit come in. They provide copies to people that want their medical records for a fee.

“It’s not a part of the health insurance so there’s fee schedules across the country,” said Sid Soil of Docuvait. “Depending on what province you’re in, they vary, and we conform to the fee schedule in each province.”

Soil says the fee structure can vary depending on a patient’s ability to pay.

“We’ll make arrangements for a fee that you can afford and make arrangements to provide your medical records at no cost,” said Soil.

As for Schneider, she is still hoping to find a new doctor.

“Call Nova Scotia Health to get on that waitlist, and add another four people to that waitlist and hope for the best,” she said.

That waitlist is one more reason Schneider wants access to her medical records.