PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Former Crozer Health patients may be running out of time to get their medical records. The bankrupt parent company of the shuttered health system is working to get permission to destroy those records.
Prospect Medical Holdings closed down the Crozer Health system in Delaware County last May. Since then, nearly 10,000 former patients have requested their medical records.
Now, Prospect has filed a motion in front of a bankruptcy judge to get rid of those records after one year.
“The county is doing all that we can, working with state partners and local partners to try and see if we can figure out a way to work through this with the bankruptcy court to make sure the records aren’t destroyed,” said Delaware County Councilperson Dr. Monica Taylor.
Taylor said she had no idea why Prospect filed the motion, which could once again negatively affect Crozer’s former patients.
“This rings true to Prospect throughout the process. They have been the worst partner possible in health care and once again it’s a reason why private equity should not be in healthcare.”
Last summer, Prospect started charging former patients $35 to receive their records by mail and $75 to have them sent to their doctor’s office. However, Taylor said thanks to a lawsuit, patients don’t have to pay for their records.
Thanks to a lawsuit, Taylor said, former Crozer patients do not currently have to pay for their medical records.
“What we are doing right now is trying to encourage people to get their medical records now,” she said. “Don’t wait. They should be in your possession or your health care provider’s possession.”
County officials have encouraged people who need to receive their medical records to contact the Delaware County Health Department.