Opinion ID: 2345453
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The MRA

Text: The MRA imposes a duty on medical care providers, like the hospitals that hired Appellants, to produce medical records in a timely fashion, i.e., within three days of receiving a subpoena or request. 42 Pa. C.S. § 6152(a)(1). A hospital may elect to provide either the original records or certified copies. 42 Pa.C.S. § 6152(a)(1). If the hospital chooses to provide copies, it must supply in its response to the request an estimate of the actual and reasonable expenses of reproducing the charts or records. 42 Pa.C.S. § 6152(a)(1). Separately, the MRA also places limits on the prices charged by medical providers or their designated agents for copying medical records. 42 Pa.C.S. § 6152(a)(2). According to the MRA, The payment shall not exceed $15 for searching for and retrieving the records, $1 per page for paper copies for the first 20 pages, 75¢ per page for pages 21 through 60 and 25¢ per page for pages 61 and thereafter [(rate D)]; $1.50 per page for copies from microfilm [(rate M)]; plus the actual cost of postage, shipping or delivery. 42 Pa.C.S. § 6152(a)(2)(i) (emphasis added). The MRA also states that [n]o other charges for the retrieval, copying and shipping or delivery of medical records other than those set forth in this paragraph shall be permitted without prior approval of the party requesting the copying of the medical records. 42 Pa.C.S. § 6152(a)(2)(i). The hospital or its designated agent may demand payment before providing copies of the medical records. 42 Pa.C.S. § 6152(a)(2)(i). The MRA does not provide statutory remedies. 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 6151-6160. We agree with Appellants that the MRA does not provide a statutory remedy to recover the overcharges from the hospitals or Appellants. 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 6151-6160. Nevertheless, this is not a ground for reversing the Superior Court's decision as Appellee's claim is not statutory. Instead, Appellee states a common law contract claim. [3]