“Should I release my medical records to the insurance company?” is a common question we hear at TLF: The Medical Injury Law Firm, and a great one, at that.
Medical records from your doctor hold essential information that can significantly impact the outcome of any personal injury claim. However, protecting personal health information is equally important, especially after a motor vehicle accident injury, as it involves sensitive data that could influence the claim’s trajectory.
Releasing medical records may provide an insurance company with valuable details to process claims more efficiently, potentially leading to quicker settlements. Yet, there are also risks involved; the records could be used to minimize compensation or challenge the extent of injuries. Given these potential benefits and drawbacks, it’s essential to weigh this decision carefully.
If you have been the victim of a car accident, medical malpractice, or other personal injury due to another’s negligence, TLF: The Medical Injury Law Firm is here to help. To speak with an attorney on our team regarding your case, give us a call at (800)-698-4054 or reach out online to schedule your free consultation today.
Do Insurance Companies Have Access to Medical Records?
Insurance companies can only access certain medical records if you sign a release waiver. This medical release form grants the insurance company permission to review records or a medical report from a physician when it is relevant to your personal injury or accident claim.
When signing a release for an insurance company, it’s essential to limit access strictly to healthcare records related to your injury, and no past medical records. This is to ensure that unrelated medical history remains private.

Can Insurance Companies Request Medical Records?
Yes, insurance companies can request medical records from your doctor as part of evaluating a claim. Medical records typically needed include details such as treatment history, doctor’s notes, diagnostic tests, and any prescribed therapies or medications.
Why Do Insurance Companies Ask for Medical Records?
Insurers claim they need access to your medical records to assess the extent of your injuries and verify that they align with your claim. However, in reality, they often look for ways to downplay the severity of your injuries, argue that they were pre-existing, or even suggest that your treatment was unnecessary.
By scrutinizing your medical records, insurance companies aim to reduce their financial responsibility, offering settlements that may fall far short of what you deserve. It’s a tactic designed to protect their bottom line—not your well-being.
Insurers may also use medical records to dispute or deny claims if they find information suggesting the injury isn’t as severe as reported. Disputing the claim could also delay further medical treatment. That is why it is important to have documentation on all accident injuries and not give your complete medical history, especially in a car accident.

Should You Release Your Accident-Related Medical Records to Insurers?
Releasing your accident-related medical records to insurers can significantly influence the outcome of your claim, so it’s important to consider this decision carefully.
Say you are in a motor vehicle accident. By providing access to your medical records to the other driver’s insurance company and your own, you may help speed up the claims process by verifying injuries and determining reasonable compensation.
However, it’s important to understand that insurers tend to use these records to minimize their liability, especially if they find pre-existing conditions or other details that could limit settlement amounts. In this case, when deciding whether or not to release your medical records, it is always best to consult a car accident lawyer first.
Limiting access strictly to accident-related records can help protect your privacy while still supporting your claim.
Risks of Releasing Medical Records
Releasing medical records to insurers carries several risks. When releasing documents to the insurers, your medical records are actually incomplete. At the time of the insurance company needing your records, you do not know how the injury has fully affected your way of life. The full extent of your injuries has not yet been documented at this point, so any settlement they offer will likely not account for future medical expenses. In other words, depending on the extent of the injury, you may not be able to receive certain damages due to medical records being incomplete.
When given a release form, review the document to make sure it is not a general release form. Signing a general release form could give the insurance company broad access to obtain unrelated or private details in your medical history, not just those related to the accident.
This access can be problematic if insurers use pre-existing conditions or unrelated past injuries as grounds to reduce or deny your claim. Additionally, insurance adjusters may scrutinize even minor inconsistencies in records, which they could use to cast doubt on the legitimacy of your claim and risk potentially lowering the compensation offered.

What Medical Records Should You Share with the Insurance Company?
When sharing medical records with an insurance company, it’s crucial to provide only those directly related to the injury from the accident or malpractice case.
Restricting the release to only relevant documents and not all your medical records helps protect your privacy and prevent the insurer from accessing unrelated medical history.
An attorney can assist by carefully limiting the scope of the release form. Some documents that might be included are x-rays or scans, prescriptions given at the time of injury, treatment recommendations, and doctors’ notes.
Why You Should Consult an Attorney Before Releasing Medical Records
Consulting an attorney and taking advantage of a free consultation before releasing medical records to an insurance company is essential to protect your rights and privacy. An experienced Covington or Cincinnati personal injury attorney at TLF: The Medical Injury Law Firm can provide valuable legal guidance, helping you navigate complex forms and requests while avoiding unnecessary disclosures.
Your attorney will also be able to speak directly to the insurance adjuster as well as give you advice for your best interest, such as limiting the scope of the records shared and ensuring your privacy.
This legal support is critical to prevent insurers from using unrelated medical history to reduce your claim or deny compensation, ultimately strengthening your case.

How a Personal Injury Attorney Can Protect Your Rights
A personal injury attorney plays a crucial role in protecting your rights throughout the claims process. Experienced attorneys like those at TLF can prevent another driver’s insurance company from overreaching by requesting unnecessary or irrelevant medical records, ensuring that only pertinent information is disclosed.
This advocacy is essential for negotiating a fair settlement, as it helps prevent insurers from unfairly reducing or denying your insurance claim based on extraneous details. Additionally, an attorney can assist in reviewing and narrowing down requests, steering clear of blanket release forms that grant insurers excessive access to your personal medical history.
What Happens if You Don’t Release Medical Records to the Insurance Company?
Refusing to release medical information to an insurance company may result in delays in processing your claim. In some cases, this refusal could complicate the situation further, particularly if the dispute escalates to court, where transparency is often required. Insurance companies may use these delays as leverage, putting pressure on you to settle for less than you deserve.
However, withholding medical records strategically can be a smart way to protect your privacy and the overall value of your claim. Insurance companies often seek access to more information than necessary, using it to minimize or deny payouts.
That’s why, to avoid jeopardizing your case, it’s crucial to work with an experienced attorney who can determine which records are relevant and ensure the insurance company only receives the information needed to evaluate your claim fairly. This approach helps protect your rights while preventing the insurance company from exploiting your medical information to save money on their end and pay you less than what you need to make a full recovery.

Injured Due To Another’s Negligence? Call a Covington or Cincinnati Personal Injury Attorney at TLF Right Away
Releasing personal medical records can be a risky decision to make when it comes to an insurance claim for personal injury compensation.
When releasing health records, it is important to remember not to sign a general release form and only allow adjusters access to healthcare records related to the auto accident or malpractice case at hand. This is often easier said than done, however, as insurance company’s bottom line is to save themselves an extra dime, so they have a number of tactics they can use to confuse you into giving them more information than they need.
Protecting your privacy is essential to us at TLF: The Medical Law Firm. If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident, medical malpractice case, or any other personal injury accident, contact one of our personal injury lawyers in Northern Kentucky or Southwest Ohio today to ensure your rights and records are both protected. We can help you negotiate with insurance adjusters, review medical release forms, and represent you in court, if necessary.
Call us toll-free at (800)-698-4054 or complete our online intake form to schedule your free consultation today.