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Report: #1105174

Complaint Review: The Helm Center - Laguna Hills California

  • Submitted:
  • Updated:
  • Reported By: Brian Ball — Huntington Beach California
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  • The Helm Center 24902 Moulton Pkwy #200 Laguna Hills, California USA

The Helm Center Standiford Helm II, M.D. M.B.A.Pacific Coast Pain Management Center Charges an outrageous flat $50 fee for copies ,even electronic, of medical records! Laguna Hills California

*Consumer Comment: Great Doctor

*Author of original report: You clearly don't know the law

*General Comment: How are they rude?

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The Helm Center is a pain management clinic in Laguna Hills, California. If you want them to retrieve and copy your medical records no matter how long or short, whether the copy is electronic or not, regardless of your ability to pay and even if they are for another doctor they charge a $50 fee.

They justify it by claiming it's legal and "reasonable".  They stated that $15 of the $50 charge was for retrieving the records which, I believe, is not legal under HIPAA.  They stated that California law allows them to charge up to 25 cents a page for a copy - but I believe that is paper copy only, and they charge that for even an electronic copy.

I am an advocate and personal representative for a young person that has no income and cannot afford $50 for a copy of medical records.

They were requested by another doctor and normally, I'd expect the records to be transferred to the other doctor as a professional courtesty.  But there is no courtesy here, professional or otherwise!

The nurse practitioner at this clinic is great but the office staff is among some of the most rude and discourteous that I've ever encountered.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 12/07/2013 12:08 PM and is a permanent record located here: https://www.ripoffreport.com/report/s/the-helm-center/laguna-hills-california-standiford-helm-ii-md-1105174. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year. Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report. READ: Foreign websites steal our content

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#3 Consumer Comment

Great Doctor

AUTHOR: Scott - (United States)

POSTED: Wednesday, April 11, 2018

Dr. Helm is a great Dr.  It does seem unfair that a doctor cannot charge for copies; it does cost them money.  

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#2 Author of original report

You clearly don't know the law

AUTHOR: Brian Ball - ()

POSTED: Saturday, December 07, 2013

HIPAA does not allow a charge for the clerical work of record retrieval and this doctor is governed by HIPAA.

California law does allow, under some circumstances, a charge of either 10 cents per page, or 25 cents per page for a paper copy and under some circumstances they do not allow a charge at all.

There is no statement in the law of what's "reasonable" for an electronic copy, but I believe $50 is a ridiculous and outrageous amount to charge for simply copying a PDF onto a disk.

Most doctors will transfer records to another doctor for fee, as a professional courtesty.

But not the Helm pain clinic.

In some states, Oregon for example, a doctor must provide a copy of medical records for free if the patient cannot afford to pay for a copy of the records.

Unfortunately for the patient I represent (pro bono) this doctor is in California and although the patient cannot afford to pay $50 the Helm center didn't care.

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#1 General Comment

How are they rude?

AUTHOR: Tyg - ()

POSTED: Saturday, December 07, 2013

 How exactly are they rude expecting you to pay for COPIES of records? You may not THINK its fair, but it is. YOU need to stop being a whiney self entitled idjit and step back and ACTUALLY look at the situation.

Let me break it down for you.

A. Someone has to retreive these records from storage. This means a office person has to STOP and handle YOUR administarative issue INSTEAD of helping the patients RIGHT IN FRONT OF THEM. And before you say "so what", if you were that patient and they left you standing there for 30mins to an hour, I dont think YOU would be too happy. You complain that you have to pay for medical records. Them leaving you waiting would have probably caused a stroke in you.

B. Then those files have to be reviewed. This means they have to ensure that no "OFFICE WORKPRODUCT" is included in this transfer. Then they have to make INDIVIDUAL copies. This all takes time and resources. Even if they are scanning each page, this takes time and resources.

C. They then have to ensure each and every copy is legible so there is no confusion for the recieving doctor.

D. They then have to go back and put your file back together and then take it back to storage.

Now YOU are ONLY thinking of yourself and YOUR issue. But when you step back and realize that YOU are not the ONLY PERSON requesting/demanding aq copy of THEIR records then maybe you will see HOW that cost is applied.

All steps in this process require a HUMAN to do the work. HUMANS want to be paid for THEIR work. This work requires resorces and time. Two things THAT ARE NOT FREE!! Its not about "professional courtesy" its about having to spend money. And YES they are not going to just spend that time and energy FOR FREE!! YOU wouldnt work for no pay. Why would you expect and now demand that they do?

YOUR personal situation DOES NOT FACTOR INTO THE COSTS OF DOING THE JOB. It is what it is and to post a negative review about a legitimate business BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE CHEAP is about as low as a person can get. Its no different then BLACKMAIL!!! YOURE attempting to get your records through SLEEZY TACTICS. Get over it and get your head out of your arse. You embarrass yourself with your own post. You show yourself to be IGNORANT of how the world works and you show yourself to be a cheapskate crybaby.

It is not RUDE nor is it DISCOURTIOUS to expect you to pey for something that costs. It is more RUDE on your part to expect SOMEONE else to eat the costs associated with YOUR issue. This is neither a ripoff or a scam by the business. Its more of the same American consumer acting self entitled because THEY think differently. The OP needs to get out in the world some more because their ignorance is almost the level of pathalogically stupid then standard ignorance.

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