Requesting medical records from Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) means working with two departments that most requesters don't expect. HSS handles medical records and radiology imaging separately, with different forms, contacts, and fees. For personal injury attorneys juggling several client cases, that split adds steps and room for error. Codes Health helps with AI-powered request review and persistent provider follow-up, with a company-advertised timeline of a couple of weeks.

Key Takeaways

• HSS's Health Information Management (HIM) department handles medical records, while Radiology handles imaging, so plan on separate requests for both
• HSS publishes a copy fee of up to $0.75 per page for medical records, subject to applicable fee restrictions and exemptions
• Radiology disc fees differ by location: $35 in New York for pickup or mailing, and $15 for pickup or $35 for mailing in Florida
• HSS's forms require the adolescent's signature when requesting records for patients ages 12 to 17
• The HSS authorization requires initials for listed sensitive-information categories
• Codes Health reviews requests before submission and follows up across channels for a flat fee

Understanding the Medical Records Request Process at HSS

Overview of HSS Medical Records Department

HSS keeps patient medical records through its Health Information Management department. As a leading orthopedic and rheumatology hospital, HSS produces extensive documentation, including operative reports, physical therapy notes, imaging studies, and rehabilitation records that matter in personal injury litigation.

HSS's records page lists several ways to submit a signed request, including email, fax, mail, and in person. The key distinction is that medical records and radiology imaging are handled separately. An authorization sent to HIM won't produce imaging studies, so submit a radiology request too.

Why You Might Need Your Medical Records

Personal injury attorneys commonly request HSS records for:

• Establishing the extent of orthopedic injuries and necessary treatment
• Documenting surgical interventions and post-operative care
• Supporting damages calculations with billing records
• Preparing expert witnesses with treatment timelines
• Meeting discovery deadlines and statute of limitations requirements

For knee replacements, spine surgeries, or sports medicine injuries treated at HSS, you'll usually want both clinical documentation and imaging for case valuation.

Essential Forms: HIPAA Authorization and Release of Information

Key Sections of a HIPAA Release Form

The Individual Authorization for Release of Information is the main document for third-party requests. This four-page authorization includes:

• Patient demographic information (name, date of birth, address)
• Specific records requested with date ranges
• Recipient information (law firm name, address, contact)
• Purpose of disclosure (Legal, Insurance, Medical Care)
• Expiration date (defaults to one year from signing)
• Signature requirements with notarization options

The form requires initials for its listed sensitive-information categories, including HIV/AIDS, substance use disorder, psychiatric records, sexually transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, and genetic testing. Without those initials, that information won't be released, even when it's relevant to the case. Some information may also fall outside the HIPAA access right or need separate authorization, so ask HIM about any additional requirements.

Ensuring Proper Authorization for Family Access

HSS's access, authorization, imaging, and proxy forms instruct requesters to get the adolescent's signature, in addition to the parent's or guardian's, when requesting records for patients ages 12 to 17. The MyHSS proxy form spells this out for portal access. A missing signature can hold up processing, so check both before you submit.

Contacting Hospital for Special Surgery for Your Records

Direct Phone Numbers and Department Hours

Health Information Management Department (Medical Records)

• Phone: 212.606.1254
• Alternate Phone: 646.797.8254
• Hours: Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM Eastern Time
• Email: roirequest@hss.edu
• Fax: 212.774.7364 or 212.606.1859

Mailing Address: Health Information Management Department, Hospital for Special Surgery, 535 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021

Radiology and Imaging Records Department (New York)

Contacts from the New York imaging form:

• Phone: 212.606.1624 or 212.606.1135
• Fax: 646.714.6060 or 212.774.2327
• In-person pickup: 535 East 70th St., Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:40 PM. Confirm the exact pickup location with Radiology before you go

Radiology and Imaging Records Department (Florida)

Contacts for the Florida location, per the Florida imaging form and HSS's records page:

• Phone: 561.657.4600
• Fax: HSS's webpage lists 561.657.4065, while the Florida form shows 561.657.4674. Call Florida Radiology at 561.657.4600 to confirm the right number before sending patient information
• Email: FloridaImageRequests@hss.edu

Alternative Communication Methods: Fax and Email

Signed requests can go to HIM by email at roirequest@hss.edu or by fax. A phone call doesn't replace a signed request. HSS also links an MRO request portal for patients and patient representatives, so confirm portal eligibility and imaging coverage before a law firm relies on it.

Codes Health manages provider outreach across calls, faxes, emails, and portals, so your firm sees completed outreach and the next required action in one place instead of tracking each channel by hand.

Expediting Your Request: Tips for Faster Retrieval

Common Pitfalls to Avoid in Record Requests

The most frequent errors that slow HSS requests include:

• Missing adolescent signature: For patients ages 12 to 17, leaving off the teen's signature
• Vague date ranges: Using general dates instead of specific dates of service
• Sensitive information not initialed: Skipping the initials for categories you need
• Single department submission: Sending only to HIM without a radiology request
• Choosing the wrong record option: "Abstract Records" is a defined selection of records, not the full file

The Role of Clear and Concise Information

On the Request for Access form, know what each option covers. The abstract includes a defined set of records, such as history and physicals, discharge summaries, operative, anesthesia, implant, physician-office, clinic, consultation, laboratory, and imaging reports. "Entire Record" gives you more, but it excludes imaging, so request images from Radiology separately. List every record type you need, including billing statements.

Incomplete authorizations are a leading preventable cause of denied requests. Missing patient signatures, unclear dates, or uninitialed sensitive-information categories can lead to clarification requests and processing delays, though corrections don't automatically restart a legal deadline. Codes Health's AI review is built to catch these errors before submission, automatically flagging misspellings, missing dates of service, and signature issues that would otherwise cause provider rejections.

Accessing Your Medical Records Online: Patient Portals and Digital Options

HSS Patient Portal Features and Benefits

HSS rolled out expanded MyHSS portal access on March 18, 2021, ahead of the federal information blocking rules that became applicable April 5, 2021. MyHSS provides access to available test results, clinical notes, and images, including:

• Laboratory and pathology reports
• Radiology reports with links to view and download images
• Progress notes and clinical documentation
• Operative reports and procedure notes
• Discharge summaries

For quick case assessment, having clients activate MyHSS can give you a look at available records while formal requests are processed.

Steps to Register for Online Access

1. Visit myhss.hss.edu
2. Click "Sign Up" and enter an email address and basic demographic information
3. Complete identity verification
4. Access available records once the account is active

Some information, such as psychotherapy notes and research study data, may be withheld from the portal. Contact HIM about records not available through MyHSS and any additional authorization requirements, since some records stay subject to access restrictions.

Ensuring Completeness: What to Expect from Your HSS Records

Checking for Missing Information

When records arrive, check for:

• Pre-operative evaluations and medical history
• Operative reports with procedure details
• Anesthesia records
• Post-operative notes and follow-up visits
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation documentation
• Discharge planning and instructions
• Billing records (requested separately from Patient Accounting at 844.252.1772)

Understanding Different Types of Records: Clinical, Billing, Imaging

Medical Records from Health Information Management:

• Cost: Up to $0.75 per page, a published maximum subject to applicable restrictions and exemptions

Radiology Disc from Imaging Department:

• New York: $35 for pickup or mailing
• Florida: $15 for pickup or $35 for mailing

MyHSS Patient Portal:

• Cost: Free for available records

HSS's published materials don't establish standard processing times, so confirm timing with HIM or Radiology for your request. For HIPAA individual access requests, providers generally must act within 30 calendar days. One extension of up to 30 days is allowed only with notice during the initial period explaining the delay and giving an expected completion date, per 45 CFR 164.524. Attorney authorizations can follow different rules.

Codes Health reviews delivered records for potential gaps against the original request and follows up with the facility on missing materials before returning the set to your firm.

Legal and Healthcare Applications: When Professionals Request Your Records

How Law Firms Obtain Medical Records

Law firm requests use the Individual Authorization for Release of Information with proper patient consent. The process typically involves:

1. Getting a signed patient authorization with the legal purpose checked
2. Submitting it to HIM by email, fax, or mail
3. Submitting a separate radiology request to the imaging department
4. Paying any invoices
5. Receiving records by the delivery method selected

For personal injury firms handling several HSS cases, this manual process takes real staff time. Codes Health reviews authorizations before submission, follows up with providers until records arrive, and checks for gaps, with a company-advertised timeline of a couple of weeks rather than an HSS-specific guarantee.

Healthcare Providers and Patient History Compilation

When HSS providers need records from other facilities, they use the outside records authorization. This allows HSS to request information on a patient's behalf for continuity of care.

Understanding Your Rights: Accessing and Amending Your Health Information

The Scope of Patient Access Rights Under HIPAA

Under HIPAA and New York law, patients generally have the right to:

• Inspect or obtain copies of information in their designated record set, subject to certain exceptions
• Request amendments to inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request restrictions on use and disclosure. HSS doesn't have to agree to most requests, but it must honor a request not to disclose information to a health plan about services the patient paid for in full
• Receive an accounting of certain disclosures, which excludes treatment disclosures and several other categories
• Revoke authorization in writing for future disclosures

Steps to Request an Amendment to Your Medical Record

The amendment request form lets patients ask for changes to their records. Demographic changes require proof with legal documents or government-issued ID. HSS states it has up to 60 days to respond, with a possible additional 30 days with notice, and provides decisions in writing. HSS isn't required to make every requested change.

Managing Long-Term and Historical Medical Records from HSS

Strategies for Retrieving Records from Past Visits

For treatment history spanning several years, specify the full date range you need on the authorization. HSS generally supplies copies of imaging rather than originals, so confirm whether historical studies are still available before relying on them.

When clients can't recall every treatment date, a formal request may come back incomplete. Codes Health uses provider and facility data to help identify where records may exist, which helps with long medical histories or incomplete client recollection.

The Challenge of Comprehensive Medical History

Personal injury cases often need records from other facilities beyond HSS, which means separate requests, multiple timelines, and completeness checks across every source.

Through its Filevine partnership, announced July 13, 2026, Codes Health is embedded in Filevine, so users can submit requests, track status, and receive completed records inside the case file without managing separate vendor portals.

Speed claims deserve a closer look too. Codes Health's position is that services advertising same-day retrieval typically return only the records immediately available electronically, which leaves gaps, requires client involvement to track down the rest, and leads to client churn. Codes Health focuses on getting the complete record set in weeks, not months.

Why PI Firms Use Codes Health for HSS Retrieval

Separate HIM and Radiology departments, location-specific imaging fees, sensitive-information initials, and adolescent signature requirements mean one HSS case can involve several requests to manage. Codes Health pulls that into one managed workflow:

• AI review of authorizations and request details before submission
• Multi-channel follow-up by phone, fax, email, and portal until records arrive
• Gap review against the original request
• Flat fee pricing
• Filevine integration for requests, tracking, and delivery inside the case file
• Custom integrations with CRM platforms and other medical software for high-volume firms

On general AI tools: General AI platforms like ChatGPT aren't designed for litigation-grade medical record review and can miss or misread clinical details. Codes Health's AI platform is purpose-built for this work and analyzes medical records with high precision, with insights verified by humans.

Codes Health's MIT-educated engineering team continuously builds out additional workflows and products, so the platform keeps evolving, improving, and becoming more comprehensive to meet the changing demands of modern legal practices.

Bottom Line

Most HSS delays come from preventable mistakes: sending only to HIM and forgetting Radiology, choosing "Abstract Records" or assuming "Entire Record" includes imaging, skipping sensitive-information initials, missing the adolescent's signature, and using the wrong Florida fax number. Get the forms right up front, track each department separately, and check what arrives against what you asked for.

If you'd rather not manage that across every case, Codes Health handles request review, follow-up, and gap checks for a flat fee, with a company-advertised timeline of a couple of weeks. Schedule a demo to see how it fits your practice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it typically take to receive medical records from Hospital for Special Surgery?

HSS's published materials don't give a standard processing time, so confirm timing with HIM or Radiology. For HIPAA individual access requests, providers generally must act within 30 calendar days, with one extension of up to 30 days allowed with timely notice. Other request types can follow different rules. Patients can view available records free through MyHSS while formal requests are processed.

Can I request medical records for a family member from HSS?

Yes, with proper authorization. For adult patients, you need a signed Individual Authorization for Release of Information naming you as the recipient. For patients ages 12 to 17, HSS's forms instruct requesters to get the adolescent's signature as well as the parent's or guardian's. For ongoing access to a minor's records, use the MyHSS proxy access request form.

What is the cost associated with requesting medical records from HSS?

HSS publishes a copy fee of up to $0.75 per page for medical records, subject to applicable restrictions and exemptions. Radiology discs cost $35 in New York for pickup or mailing, and $15 for pickup or $35 for mailing in Florida. MyHSS access is free. In New York, Public Health Law 18 prohibits charges for qualifying requests supporting applications, claims, or appeals for government benefits or programs. Don't assume that New York rule applies to Florida requests.

What should I do if my medical records from HSS appear incomplete?

First, confirm you sent separate requests to HIM and Radiology. Check which record option you selected, since the abstract is a defined subset and "Entire Record" excludes imaging. Contact HIM at 212.606.1254 to find out what was sent, then submit a supplemental request for anything missing. Codes Health reviews records for potential gaps and follows up with the facility on missing materials.

Does HSS offer expedited processing for urgent legal matters?

Contact HIM or Radiology to discuss urgent requests and available options, and don't assume expedited processing is available. For tight deadlines, have clients use MyHSS to review available records while formal requests are processed.