How to request your medical records in Michigan
You have a federal right to a copy of your own medical records, in Michigan and everywhere else. Below is how that right works, what Michigan adds on top of it, and a free letter you can fill out and send.
Your federal right (applies in every state)
Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 CFR 164.524), you can get a copy of your own medical records without giving a reason. The rule binds HIPAA covered entities, which is most doctors, hospitals, and health plans. It must act on your request within 30 days and may take one 30-day extension if it tells you in writing why and when. It may charge only a reasonable, cost-based fee covering copying labor, supplies, postage if you ask for it mailed, and any summary you agreed to.
Two limits worth knowing. Psychotherapy notes and material prepared for a lawsuit sit outside the right, and access can be denied on the narrow grounds the rule lists, some of which you can have reviewed. And the fee cap covers copies for you. When you direct a provider to send records to someone else, a 2020 federal court ruling (Ciox Health v. Azar) took that cap off, so state limits are what remain.
What Michigan adds
- Copy fees
- A provider may not charge you the standard initial fee for your own record; otherwise the cap is tiered per-page (about $1.00 per page for the first 20 pages, 50 cents for pages 21–50, 20 cents after), plus actual postage and the actual cost of retrieving records 7+ years old kept off-site. All amounts are adjusted annually for inflation.
- Worth knowing
- The statute writes the initial-fee waiver for the patient asking for their own record. It does not say the same about a request that comes in through an authorized representative, so expect that request to be billed the full schedule.
- The law
- Mich. Comp. Laws § 333.26269 (Medical Records Access Act)
HIPAA sets a floor, not a ceiling. A Michigan rule that gives you greater access, a faster deadline or a lower fee, is not preempted, so it stands alongside the federal right. State caps can also carry limits of their own: some apply only to certain kinds of provider, some price electronic copies differently, and some do not apply when a third party is asking. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the specifics with your provider's records office.
Source
Who it covers: Health care providers, health facilities, and medical records companies.
These figures are what the source said when we read it on September 9, 2026. Many states adjust their caps every year, so confirm the current amount before you argue one.
Your Michigan records-request letter
Requesting records in Michigan — common questions
- How do I request my medical records in Michigan?
- Under your federal right of access (HIPAA, 45 CFR § 164.524), you can get a copy of your own records from a HIPAA-covered provider or health plan in Michigan. Send a written request, and the free letter on this page works, to the provider's Health Information Management or Release of Information office, or use their patient portal if they have one.
- How much can a provider in Michigan charge for copies of my records?
- A provider may not charge you the standard initial fee for your own record; otherwise the cap is tiered per-page (about $1.00 per page for the first 20 pages, 50 cents for pages 21–50, 20 cents after), plus actual postage and the actual cost of retrieving records 7+ years old kept off-site. All amounts are adjusted annually for inflation. HIPAA separately limits what a covered provider may charge for your own copy to a reasonable, cost-based fee covering copying labor, supplies, postage if you ask for it mailed, and any summary you agreed to. Searching and retrieving are not on that list. Whichever rule protects you more is the one to cite. That federal cap covers copies for you. When you direct records to a third party, a 2020 federal court ruling took the cap off, and state limits are what remain.
- Is this records-request letter free?
- Yes. The generator builds a HIPAA records-request letter you can download and print for free. Nothing you type is saved or sent to anyone but you.
Records rules in another state?
What we will never do with your records
This generator runs without an account, and KeptWell itself makes the same promises to every family, regardless of plan or price.
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- We won't lock you in.
- You can export everything in your circle as a ZIP at any time. Cancellation is one click.
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