At Medchart, we are committed to providing our customers with the best possible service and experience for processing their medical record requests.
It is our commitment to meet or exceed the following standards.
Update: this service standard is valid for all requests placed after March 15, 2021
Responsibilities of the law firm to avoid delay in retrieval
- Provide accurate healthcare provider contact information for where the request should be sent.
- Verify that the requested provider address is the correct before submitting the request to Medchart.
- Prior to submitting a request, upload all required supporting documentation for substitute decision makers who have signed consents.
- Respond in a timely manner to inquiries from the Medchart team.
- Respond in a timely manner to approve or reject healthcare provider fee estimates or invoices.
Provider Standard Follow-up Schedule:
Please be advised that the hospital follow up schedule is subject to change and may vary based on the institution the request is directed to. Upon request of the hospital, Medchart may use a modified follow up schedule to accommodate the hospital’s high request volume and/or backlog of request fulfillment. A hospital may request we change the cadence of written/verbal follow ups, complete all follow ups in bulk, or complete follow ups exclusively on scheduled days or times*. Exceptions can be made for requests marked as urgent in the Medchart portal. If you have questions about an individual request, please contact the Medchart support team.
Timeline | Action | Procedure |
1-2 days | 1st Request | A request will be sent out via fax/email/letter mail |
30-36 days
| Written reminder | A reminder of outstanding request will be sent via fax/email/letter |
40 - 46 days
| Phone call | A follow up phone call is placed |
37 - 43
| Written reminder
| A reminder will be sent out via fax/e-mail/letter mail |
44– 50 days
| Written reminder | A reminder will be sent out via fax/e-mail/letter mail |
50 -56 days
| Written reminder | A reminder will be sent out via fax/e-mail/letter mail |
57 – 63 days
| Written reminder | A reminder will be sent out via fax/e-mail/letter mail |
63 - 69 days
| Phone call if transaction was completed | This is to ensure payment was received and the request was processed |
65 Days | Phone call | A follow up phone call is placed
|
63 - 69 days
| Written reminder | A 6th reminder of outstanding request will be sent via fax/email/letter mail |
70 - 76 days
| Written reminder | A 7th reminder of outstanding request will be sent via fax/email/letter mail |
77-83 days
| Written reminder | A 8th reminder of outstanding request will be sent via fax/email/letter mail |
83-89 days
| Written reminder | A 9th reminder of outstanding request will be sent via fax/email/letter mail |
90 Days
| Follow ups discontinued |
|
Actions listed will be completed within the indicated timeline falling on the next available business day.
The request will not go on the batch letter in the following scenarios
- The request has a pending transaction
- The request is on hold
- Communication is paused
*Please see a non-exhaustive list of hospital follow ups procedures below:
| Provider Name | Follow-Up Procedure |
| Alberta Benefit Paid Statement (Alberta SOBP) | Bulk email follow-ups |
| Humber River Hospital | Bulk email follow-ups |
| Lakeridge Health | Individual follow-ups by email/fax. Requests over 180 days by bulk email |
| Nova Scotia Health Authority | Bulk email follow-ups |
| Parkwood Institute | Bulk email follow-ups |
| Service Canada Employment and Social Development | Individual follow ups via ATIP portal |
| St Joseph's Health System | Follow ups by email after 30 days |
| St Joseph's Hospital London | Bulk email follow ups |
| Sunnybrook Health Science Centre | Bulk email follow ups monthly |
| The Ottawa Hospital | Individual email follow ups after 60 days |
| Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (TRI) University Site | Individual email follow-ups after 30 days |
| Trillium Health Partners | Individual email follow-ups after 30 days |
| University Health Network | Individual email follow ups after 30 days |
| William Osler Health System | Individual follow ups by email |
Rejection of Fees or Estimates
- If fees are accepted, then payment will be issued to the healthcare provider by Medchart immediately and the request will continue to be processed normally.
- If the law firm rejects the invoice or estimate from a healthcare provider, then we will send out the rejection notice and written message directly to the healthcare provider.
- If a revised invoice or estimate is received by Medchart, we will seek approval from the law firm before proceeding to pay the invoice or approve an estimate.
- If the revised invoice or estimate is rejected by the law firm then the law firm will be given the option to cancel the request or engage the healthcare provider directly over the phone to attempt to negotiate another revised invoice.
Request Outcomes
Fulfilled
- We have received requested medical records from a healthcare provider and all outstanding invoices have been paid.
- We have receive a written confirmation that no records exist within the specified timeframe for a patient who has been seen at that healthcare institution or by the specified provider.
- A request will be fulfilled if we receive written confirmation that the patient has never been seen at that healthcare institution or by the specified provider.
- A request will be cancelled if providers contact information can not be confirmed and there is low confidence that we have the correct information on-file.
- A Request will be cancelled if no response is received from the law firm after three follow-ups