Y O U R
M E D I C A L
R E C O R D S
K n o w Y o u r R i g h t s
Commonwealth of
Massachusetts
BOARD OF
REGISTRATION IN
MEDICINE
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Board of Registration in Medicine
200 Harvard Mill Square, Suite 330
Wakefield, MA 01880
State law allows patients
to obtain copies of their medical re-
cords and limits charges for these copies.
See the FAQs inside this brochure for de-
tails about these allowable charges.
Maintenance of Medical Records
A physician must maintain patient medi-
cal records for seven years from the date
of last patient contact or until the patient
is nine years old, if longer than seven
years.
After seven years, a physician can give
his/her former patients their original medi-
cal records or destroy the records. There
is no requirement that the physician notify
the patients before destroying records. It
is wise to request a copy of your medical
record when changing physicians.
Commonwealth of
Massachusetts
Deval L. Patrick
Timothy P. Murray
Governor Lieutenant Governor
Massachusetts Board of
Registration in Medicine
The Board of Registration in Medicine is
the state agency that licenses and regu-
lates Massachusetts physicians. In ad-
dition, the Board reviews consumer
complaints about licensed physicians.
As part of its strong public protection
mandate, the Board has the authority to
discipline physicians who violate the
Board’s statutes and regulations.
Consumers are invited to learn more
about the agency’s work by visiting the
Board’s website at:
www.massmedboard.org
Consumers without Internet access can
request public information and get other
assistance by calling
781-876-8200
or
1-800-377-0550
medical record.
Are Psychiatric and Other Mental
Health Records Handled Differ-
ently ?
The Board regulation pertaining to providing
copies of medical records relating to mental
health allows a physician to provide a sum-
mary of the record in