On April 4, the Wisconsin Supreme Court upheld a ruling stating that healthcare companies cannot charge patients for electronic copies of their medical records as it goes against state law.
A patient filed a lawsuit against Madison, Wis.-based UW Health alleging that the health system charged her a per page fee for electronic copies of her medical records.
UW Health argued that Wisconsin state law does not prohibit hospitals from charging for copies of electronic medical records.
The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that state law does not prohibit hospitals from charging fees for copies of medical records in certain formats, but does not allow hospitals to charge fees for copies of electronic medical records.
UW Health had to refund the patient $109.66 for her electronic medical records as a result of the ruling.