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Medical records, bills & imaging

Medical record retrieval in California

A California treatment history may sit with a hospital, a medical group and a separate imaging center. Tavrn requests the medical records, bills and images from each provider and returns the files through the platform, an integration or the API.

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Coverage in California

Statewide, including Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, the Bay Area counties of San Francisco, Alameda and Santa Clara, Sacramento County and the Central Valley. Records outside California can be part of the same patient’s workflow.

Coverage describes where records can be requested, not a local office or an affiliation with a named provider. Tavrn requests from any US provider with patient authorization.

How requests work in California

Identify the hospital campus, clinic or medical group that treated the patient. In Los Angeles, a hospital chart and a separately maintained imaging study may need different custodians. Include the dates and record types for each one.

  1. Step 1

    Identify the records

    Add the patient, signed authorization, providers, dates of service and record types through the platform, an integration or the API.

  2. Step 2

    Request and follow up

    Tavrn routes each provider request through the appropriate network, portal, fax, mail, email or phone channel, then follows up. Track status per provider.

  3. Step 3

    Receive the files

    Medical records, itemized bills and imaging return to your workspace or connected system. API users can receive webhook events and download the files.

Source-cited reference

California records: legal fact block

Verified against statute and regulation text on . These scoped excerpts are not legal advice, a complete statement of the law or a promise of delivery. Follow each citation for the full text, exceptions and current copy-fee caps.

Patient copy-fee restriction

“a health care provider may impose a reasonable, cost-based fee for providing a paper or electronic copy or summary of patient records”

Excerpt from § 123110(j)(1), which limits included costs and excepts subdivision (d). The full section contains paper and microfilm caps and other conditions; monetary amounts are not reproduced here.

California Health & Safety Code § 123110(j)(1)

Retention when a licensed provider closes

“if the licensee ceases operation, to preserve records for a minimum of seven years following discharge of the patient”

This excerpt applies to the licensees named in § 123145(a) when they cease operation, not every California provider. The section separately addresses unemancipated minors.

California Health & Safety Code § 123145(a)

HIPAA patient-access baseline

“the covered entity must act on a request for access no later than 30 days after receipt of the request”

This is the individual right of access, not a delivery promise for every authorization-based third-party request. The rule permits one extension of no more than 30 days with a written reason and completion date. State-law requirements may differ; this is not a summary of every applicable deadline.

45 CFR § 164.524(b)(2)

Sources

California retrieval questions

Where do you retrieve records in California?
Statewide, including Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Diego County, the Bay Area counties of San Francisco, Alameda and Santa Clara, Sacramento County and the Central Valley. Records outside California can be part of the same patient’s workflow.
What do I need to start a request?
Provide the signed patient authorization, patient details, provider name and location, dates of service and record types. Identify the hospital campus, clinic or medical group that treated the patient. In Los Angeles, a hospital chart and a separately maintained imaging study may need different custodians. Include the dates and record types for each one.
Which records can I request?
Medical records, itemized billing records and radiology images. Name each record type and the custodian that holds it; an imaging report and the images themselves are distinct files.
Is this service only for law firms?
No. Healthcare organizations, clinical research teams, health-tech companies, insurers and law firms can request patient-authorized records through Tavrn.
Can a request include providers in other states?
Yes. California care and out-of-state care can be included in the same workflow, with a separate retrieval request for each provider.
How are the records delivered?
Use the Tavrn platform, an integration such as Clio, Litify or SmartAdvocate, or the API and webhooks. Your team can track each provider request and receive the files as providers respond.
Does HIPAA require every request to be completed in 30 days?
the covered entity must act on a request for access no later than 30 days after receipt of the request. This is the individual right of access, not a delivery promise for every authorization-based third-party request. The rule permits one extension of no more than 30 days with a written reason and completion date. State-law requirements may differ; this is not a summary of every applicable deadline.
Do the legal excerpts apply to every provider?
No. Each excerpt identifies its scope and links to the full legal text. Hospital rules, physician rules and patient-access requests are not interchangeable. These excerpts are not legal advice or a complete statement of applicable law.

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