SEATTLE — Washington state patients are facing mounting barriers to accessing their own medical records, as complaints to the state’s Department of Health have nearly doubled since 2020.
Some patients are waiting months or even years for documents they’re legally entitled to receive within three weeks, the KING 5 Investigators have found.
The issue is impacting everything from personal injury cases to cancer treatment, leaving patients financially impacted and legally vulnerable.
Months long wait for records
Elba Quijano’s ordeal began with a rear-end collision in South Seattle last year that left her injured physically and emotionally. When her attorney requested medical records from MultiCare to file personal injury and insurance claims, what should have been a routine three-week process stretched into a four-month waiting game…