How does a person get a copy of their medical records when the Doctor has retired or is deceased?
This is for California, but I guess it could work elsewhere in a similar manner: “There is no central “repository” for medical records. If a physician moves, retires, or passes away, sometimes another physician will either “buy out” or take over his/her practice. The “active” patients are usually notified by mail (as a courtesy), and told where to obtain their records. If you cannot locate the physician, you may want to contact your local county medical society (which is part of the California Medical Association) to see if they have any information about the physician’s practice (e.g., did someone else take over the practice?). For assistance you may go to their Web site: http://www.cmanet.org/. Additionally, you can contact the Medical Board’s Consumer Information Unit at 1-800-633-2322, or on the Board’s Web site’s profiles at Check Your Doctor, to obtain the physician’s address of record for his or her license. Write to the doctor at that address, even if the doctor has died, and r
