How to Access and Send Your Medical Records to a Research Site

To evaluate your eligibility for a clinical study, research teams must review all participants’ medical records. There are many different days to get access to your medical records and share them with a research site. Depending on your preferences, you can follow the options below.
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Patient Portal Options

Epic/MyChart  

To generate a share code: 

Watch the tutorial or follow the instructions below: 

  1. Go to mychart.org on a computer, smartphone, or tablet and click “access MyChart”. 
  1. Select the state in which your provider is located. 
  1. Select your hospital or clinic from the list. 
  1. If you already have an account, click “log in.” If you do not have an account, click “sign up”. 
  1. Follow the prompts to either log into your existing account or create a new account.  
  1. Once you are signed into your account, click the sidebar “menu” icon in the upper left corner.  
  1. Select “Share Everywhere”. You may need to type “ShareEverywhere” in the search bar to find it.  
  1. When the screen prompts you to enter a recipient, enter the study coordinator’s name: [insert medical records contact’s name] 
  1. Your portal will then generate an expirable, one-time use code. Give this to the study coordinator during your phone call.
  • Share codes typically expire after one hour. The bottom of your screen should confirm this time frame. Please notify the study coordinator that the code expires so they can copy any needed records during the call.    
To download and email records: 
  1. Go to mychart.org on a computer, smartphone, or tablet and click “access MyChart”. 
  1. Select the state in which your provider is located. 
  1. Select your hospital or clinic from the list. 
  1. If you already have an account, click “log in.” If you do not have an account, click “sign up”. 
  1. Follow the prompts to either log into your existing account or create a new account.  
  1. Once you are signed into your account, click the sidebar “menu” icon in the upper left corner.  
  1. Select “document center”.  
  1. Click “visit records”.  
  1. Click “all visits”. 
  1. Click “download”. 
  1. Click “request.” This will take about 3-4 minutes to complete.  
  1. Once the records are ready to download, click “download”. Try to save your records to a place on your device that is easy to locate. 
  • If using a computer, downloads often automatically go to your “Downloads” folder or “My Documents”  

Additional Resource: Locating Downloads 

  • If using an iPhone, downloads often automatically go to the “Files” app. On the “Files” app, there are folders for “iCloud Drive” and “On my iPhone”. In both “iCloud Drive” and “On my iPhone”, there is a “Downloads” folder that files often automatically save to. If you have trouble locating a file, check those folders or use the search engine at the top of the app. 

Additional Resource: Locating Downloads on iPhone 

  1. Go to your email and click “new message”. 
  • If using the iPhone/iPad “Mail” app, there is a square icon with a pencil going through it. Touching that icon will start a new message. 
  1. In the “to” line, insert the research team’s email address.  
  1. Attach your records to the email by clicking “attach file,” “insert files,” or a paper clip symbol. 
  • iPhone/iPad users may need to hold their finger in the body section of the email until menu options appear. Please scroll until you see “Attach file”. 
  • Make sure to include a clear subject line which indicates what study the records are for and include a message to the research team about who you are.  
  1. Click “send.” The records will now be sent over to the study site.

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Using A Patient Portal Other than MyChart 

  1. Log into your online patient portal. 
  1. Search the menu for an option to download your medical records to your electronic device. Common menu options include “share my records,” “download my records,” “health/visits summary” or “sharing hub” but wording may vary. Once you find the appropriate menu option, follow the prompts on your screen to download your records to your device. 
  • Your portal may require you to send an online request to your provider before you can download your records. If this is the case, check back again regularly within the next few days for when this request has been approved.  
  1. Save your records to a place on your device that you know you will be able to easily locate later.  
  • If using a computer, downloads often automatically go to your “Downloads” folder or “My Documents”  

Additional Resource: Locating Downloads 

  • If using an iPhone, downloads often automatically go to the “Files” app. There are “Downloads” folders in both iCloud Drive and “On My iPhone”  

Additional Resource: Locating Downloads on iPhone 

  1. Go to your email and click “new message”. 

If using the iPhone/iPad “Mail” app, there is a square icon with a pencil going through it. Touching that icon will start a new message. 

  1. In the “to” line, insert the research team’s email address.
  1. Attach your records to the email by clicking “attach file,” “insert files,” or a paper clip symbol. 
  • iPhone/iPad users may need to hold their finger in the body section of the email until menu options appear. Please scroll until you see “Attach file”. 
  • Make sure to include a clear subject line which indicates what study the records are for and include a message to the research team about who you are.  
  1. Click “send.” The records will now be sent over to the study site.

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Using OneRecord.com

OneRecord is a secure, HIPAA compliant platform that allows patients to easily access their medical records from their online patient portal. If you can view your medical records in your hospital’s patient portal but cannot locate a download option, OneRecord may be helpful. OneRecord cannot be used if you do not already have a patient portal account with your medical provider. 

  1. Go to www.onerecord.com.    
  1. Search for your physician or hospital in the search bar on the main page of the website.  
  • You can choose either the search result that has the address you visit for care or the result that lists the hospital’s main location.  
  • If you cannot find your physician or hospital in the search bar, you will not be able to use OneRecord. Please complete a release form instead.  
  1. Once you find your practice from the list of options, click it. Follow the prompts to create an account. Please remember the username and password that you used to create your account. Store your login information in a secure place if needed.   
  1. Activate your account and sync it to your portal by clicking “Connect Patient Portal.” Do NOT click “search only immunization records”. 
  1. The website will take you to your hospital’s login page. Enter your login credentials for your hospital’s online patient portal, not OneRecord’s website. 
  1. OneRecord will ask you to grant access. Click “continue”   
  • OneRecord will only have access to your hospital’s patient portal for one hour. Afterwards, the sync will expire. 
  1. Click “allow access.”  
  1. After a few minutes, the website will show which records are found. Click “continue”.   
  1. Select and download ALL records by clicking “View Medical Records” and then “Download Medical Records”.  
  1. The file will be downloaded to your device as a zip file. Locate where your zip file is downloaded on your device. To open zip files, double-click the file or right click and press “Extract All”.  
  1. Locate the PDF file within the zip folder.   
  1. Go to your email and click “new message”. 
  • If using the iPhone/iPad “Mail” app, there is a square icon with a pencil going through it. Touching that icon will start a new message. 
  1. In the “to” line, insert the research team’s email address.  
  1. Attach your records to the email by clicking “attach file,” “insert files,” or a paper clip symbol. 
    1. iPhone/iPad users may need to hold their finger in the body section of the email until menu options appear. Please scroll until you see “Attach file”. 
  1. Click “send.” The records will now be sent over to the study site.

Medical Record Release Form

Some institutions provide a medical record Release of Information (ROI)/Authorization form online that authorizes your provider(s) to send records directly to you or the research site. Check on your provider’s website or your online patient portal for a release form. It may be found under a menu option such as “request records” or “medical records.”  

Some institutions provide an option for a form to be submitted online through the website. These options require you to have a photo ID. This is the best option when available.   

Other institutions may have a PDF copy. If this is the case, download or print the form, and complete it using the following information: 

Instead of printing, you may be able to complete the form using iPhone/iPad’s markup feature, Microsoft Edge's markup feature, or Adobe Acrobat Reader. 

If you are printing the document, you will need to fax, scan, email, or mail the form to your provider.  

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Other Ways to Obtain and Share Medical Records

If your medical records are not available through a patient portal, or your provider doesn’t have an online patient portal, here are some more options:  

  • Check your provider’s website: Find out how to access your medical records by checking your provider or medical facility’s website. Look for a request form, a phone number, or an email address under the “Contact Us” section to request medical record sharing information.  
  • Contact your provider’s facility: Call, email, or text your provider or provider’s office. You may call the front office and ask for the health information services department or the administrative staff in charge of releasing health records. Here’s a template you can use when asking for help in getting your medical records:   ‍
    • Hi! I am [your provider’s name]’s patient and I would like help obtaining and sharing my medical records. Can you please direct me to the appropriate department? 
  • Visit your provider’s office: If you are unable to access your medical records through any other means, visiting your provider’s office and requesting help from an administrator, a nurse, or your provider may be your best option. They may also direct you to the health information services department where you can electronically request your records. 

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Send Your Records

Options for Sending Records:

  • Direct Submission: In some cases, your healthcare provider may send the records directly to the research site on your behalf. Ensure they have the correct contact information for the research site. You should speak with the research team about the exact address, fax number, or email address your healthcare provider should use.  
    • Ask for a tracking number for the package if it is being mailed to the research site.
  • Personal Delivery: If you receive the records yourself, you can either:
  • Mail: Send the records via postal service to the research site’s address.
    • Make sure to get a tracking number so you and the research site can ensure when the records arrive.  
  • Fax: Some research sites accept records via fax. Make sure to confirm the fax number and ensure the records are sent securely.
  • Email: If the research site accepts electronic submissions, you may be able to send the records via secure email. Ensure that you use a secure method for transmitting sensitive information.

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Confirm Receipt

Follow-Up:

  • Verify Submission: Contact the research site to confirm that they received your medical records. This can usually be done through a phone call or email.