Senate approves bill allowing $20 expedited access to medical records with timelines and fee reductions

Salt Lake City — The Senate passed First Substitute House Bill 312, a measure intended to speed patient access to medical records by permitting a $20 expedited fee and establishing deadlines tied to the fee.

Senator McCall described the bill as a consensus measure from Representative Donegan to address long delays in obtaining medical records. The bill allows a $20 payment to expedite record production and sets an expectation that records arrive within 15 days. McCall said that if records are not received within 30 days after payment, the fee is reduced by 50 percent; if records are not received within 60 days, the fee is waived.

‘‘We've always had issues with collecting medical records,’’ McCall said, urging support for the bill and noting no known opposition on the floor.

The Senate approved the substitute under suspension of the rules; the vote was recorded as 26 yeas, 0 nays, 3 absent, and the bill will be signed by the president and returned to the House for the Speaker’s signature.