Court Allows Class Action Against Hospital for Records Overcharges

A California appellate court on Wednesday ruled that a San Francisco hospital can be subjected to a class-action lawsuit alleging that it overcharged patients whose attorneys sought access to their medical records. Evidence Code Section 1158 requires hospitals to provide a patient's medical records to attorneys who possess a written authorization from the patient. The statute limits the fee the hospital can charge to 10 cents per page for standard-size pieces of paper, and clerical costs are not to exceed $16 per hour per person for locating and making records available. Rather than ...