Frequently Asked Questions
Everything about how records retrieval works with The Records Company. Can't find what you're looking for? contact us.
About the service
In a nutshell, we save you money and time. With all things being equal, operational cost becomes the primary concern for law firms, insurance companies, independent adjusters, or any other business seeking medical and billing records on behalf of clients and/or relating to claims and litigation. Our fees are the most competitive in the industry. We also enforce state regulations governing the dollar amount records providers are allowed to charge our clients for any records requested through us. Our comprehensive knowledge ensures you don't get overcharged by state authorities. Time is money. Rarely are requests for medical records magically delivered in fewer than 2 to 4 weeks, but we minimize the time you wait between request and delivery. We have staff dedicated solely to tracking requests and following up with providers on a routine basis to ensure no request falls through the cracks, gets overlooked, or gets sent to the wrong requester. For law firms that enlist paralegals to retrieve records, the amount of time such employees will save from their workday enables them to focus their time on the more productive needs of the firm and the clients they represent.
You should use a records retrieval service because it can save you valuable time and money. Our company has the knowledge and experience to request all of the records (which may be several separate records requests) and get everything to you that you will need to proceed. The Records Company makes sure to do that for you--so you make one request and get all of the records.
The problem with in-house requests may be that your employees find out later that there are multiple records that require multiple requests. The employees then have to make a new request, which takes longer to settle a claim. This affects the client and the attorney representing him/her. By using The Records Company, you can allow your staff to focus on other important things--like settling claims, drafting legal documents, writing letters, talking to the client, or whatever else they do. Additionally, the cost of using this company can be passed on to the client as an expense.
Records are kept available through the portal for 1 year from the date that they are uploaded and your request closed. We also electronically archive the records at our company, so they are available for 5 years after the request date.
Yes, we do retrieve employment records.
In 1996, U.S. Congress enacted The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Some of the provisions in this act address the security and privacy of health data. The standards apply to the widespread use of electronic data interchange in the U.S. health care system.
The Records Company complies with HIPAA by employing 128-bit encryption SSL (secured socket layer) for any health data transaction. This lets you know that your clients sensitive data is protected through industry-standard technology.
To use our services online, simply register for an account and submit your records retrieval request through our secure online portal. It's fast, easy, and there are no up-front costs. You can also begin using our services by contacting us by phone or email. For medium to large law firms, insurance companies, or any other company needing multiple user access, do not hesitate to contact our Marketing Director, directly, for any questions: Agata Zachary at (513) 795-0724 or email agata@therecordsco.com.
With each request, we ask for as much detailed information as you can supply. If there is discovery service still needed, our staff will help you find all the records related to your case. Just make sure you give us the name, record types, dates, and other pertinent information.
Submission of a standard record request consists of receiving a request for an individual's medical, billing, radiology, or physician's billing statement, drafting and submitting the request to the provider and/or their third-party servicer, and following up at least once a week, or as reasonably determined through communication with the provider until the request is completed. We offer expedited services, as well as many other additional services. For more information and pricing, please contact our Business Development Team by calling (513) 795-0724.
1. We process your request in our system. 2. We contact the service provider and transmit your request [pursuant to their preferred method.] 3. We pay the provider up front for your records prior to receiving them. 4. We follow up with your service provider to ensure timely delivery of your records to us. 5. Once your record is received, we upload them, along with an invoice for our fee and the cost of the records from the provider to your secure online portal for you to retrieve. 6. We maintain your records in our database for your access for 1 year and up to 5 years in our secure archive.
We are able to obtain records Nationwide. The Records Company is able to retrieve any and all types of records so long as the requester possesses the necessary authorizations and required information. We can retrieve medical records, medical bills, imaging, labs, employment records, tax records, EMS records, and the like. The Records Company can retrieve even the most difficult of records, such as Medicare, Medicaid, itemized liens, Social Security Administration, and Veteran's Affairs records.
No. The Records Company is a vendor and does not represent the patient. Therefore, we pay the vendor rate for all bills and records. Just as would be the case if your office requested bills and records manually, The Records Company must comply with billing procedures dependent upon each provider. We then prepay the invoices received from any providers and/or third-party administrators on behalf of our clients immediately to ensure maximum turnaround efficiency. Both the provider costs and our flat rate are reflected on the invoice and are collectively 100% case recoverable in most states.
No. Upon registration, the requester is provided with a letter of representation from The Records Company. Once executed and returned once, the requester may proceed without changing any of their internal processes. However, we do have several TRC authorizations and a DocuSign account should you need us to obtain authorization directly from the client. In addition, if the request requires a special authorization, we are able to produce that to your client via email in order to facilitate the completion of the request.
On average, The Records Company is able to resolve most requests within 1 to 8 business weeks, depending on provider response. With especially difficult providers, requests may take longer and there are no guarantees on turnaround times, as each provider and third-party administrator has different protocols. If there is a lack of response from a particular office, The Records Company will escalate the request to a supervisor and take the necessary action to move the request forward. The Records Company is meant to work with your existing staff as a team, so our goal is to retrieve your records as quickly and accurately as possible. If additional information is needed, our staff will promptly reach out to the requester to obtain this information and keep all requests continuously moving until completion.
Likely, yes. The Records Company provides a service based on efficiency. Therefore, once a request is received, it is immediately processed and sent out to the designated entities. That said, if a request is submitted and confirmation has been received from the provider, we are obligated to pay a standard search fee. As such, if a request is submitted and canceled in excess of an initial 24-hour submission period, the requester will receive an invoice showing the cancelation charges received from the provider and our service fee for the work performed up to the time of cancelation. However, we do understand mistakes happen and cases get settled unexpectedly; therefore, if a request is canceled within an initial 24-hour submission period, The Records Company will typically waive any fees associated with these requests as a courtesy.
There are no annual contracts or dues of any kind associated with our services. There is no registration fee and companies may register as many accounts as needed. Requests are billed on a flat rate (contact us for pricing details) and our flat rate does not change. The only pricing variable is the rate charged by the provider that we advance to retrieve the records. You will set the limit for automatic provider payments when registering through our portal. You will be prompted to enter billing preferences at that time, and a company credit card must be linked to your account, as we have gone paperless and no longer accept check pay. Once registered and upon completion of each request, the records are sent via email download to the requester (and a designated Billing Administrator, if applicable), with an itemized invoice on top reflecting payment for the total amount, which is posted on the linked company account on the date said request is completed.
At this time, The Records Company has not fully integrated with any internal case management software. However, many of our clients have found ways to internally integrate our system by utilizing our portal's email updating feature. This feature allows the requester to simultaneously include other parties/domains on the updates and records received through the portal and this may be customized per request, which allows many clients to designate a path for our updates to be automatically copied into their internal case management software.