Medical Records

How to inspect or request a copy of your Medical Record

Patients, or their personal representative, may inspect or obtain copies of their Murphy Medical Center medical records or have copies sent to another medical facility by following these instructions:

Provide a copy of photo ID such as valid driver's license, military ID, or state-issued ID.

To inspect or request a copy of medical records, please print and complete the:

• Request For Access to Protected Health Information (if requesting copies for yourself)
• Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Health Information (if requesting copies sent elsewhere).

In completing the authorization form, please indicate the dates of treatment for which you are requesting information.

You will also need to indicate the type of records you need and must specifically initial requests for information regarding AIDS/HIV, Psychiatric Care, or Alcohol/Drug Abuse.

While many patients request their entire medical record, our experience has shown that the summary information in documents such as Discharge Summaries, Operative Reports, and History & Physicals contain the information that most people are seeking. If you are not sure what information you need from your records, please contact us at (828)835-7595 OR drop by our office.

If you are requesting Radiology Images, they are not part of your medical record. Your official records contain the reports that interpret those images. Copies of the Radiology images may be obtained by contacting the Radiology department at (828)835-7540.

Your medical records do not contain Billing Statements, our Patient Financial Services department maintains that information.  Patient Financial Services phone number is (828)835-7600.

Once the authorization form has been completed, you have three options for submitting to Health Information:

• Bring the form to the Health Information Department at Murphy Medical, 3990 US Hwy 64 E Alt during the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays.
• Mail the form to Murphy Medical Center, 3990 US Hwy 64E Alt, Murphy, NC 28906 to the attention of Health Information, Release of Information.
• Fax the form to (828)835-7597.

You may inspect/view records within the Health Information (Medical Records) Department at the medical center.  There may be a reproduction charge for creating a copy of your records. Call the Health Information department at (828)835-7595 for information of fee schedules.  All fees will be waived if you are requesting your records be sent directly to another medical facility or office for continued patient care.

Please allow up to 10 working days for your request to be processed. If you request pick-up, you will be notified when your records are ready. When you come to the Health Information Department to inspect or pickup your request, please bring a photo ID. If an individual other than the requester is inspecting or picking up the records, then that individual will need an original signed authorization letter from the requester and a photo ID. Please notify us if someone other than the requestor will be picking up the records.  If you are an authorized legal representative or Administrator of an Estate, you will need to bring with you the appropriate legal documents for the request to be processed. 

Definitions regarding release of information:

An abstract includes summary of typed reports as listed below. This is not an all-inclusive listing.

• Discharge Summary
• History & Physical
• Consults
• Emergency Department Physician Record
• Operative Reports
• Pathology Reports
• Laboratory Reports
• Radiology Reports
• EKG
• Echocardiogram

Authorized Representative is a guardian, parent, or healthcare agent. Example: Legal documents that support the release of medical information to an authorized representative are:

• Healthcare Power of Attorney
• Power of Attorney
• Death Certificate
• Executor of Estate documents