How do I request my medical records in Arkansas?

Under your federal right of access (HIPAA, 45 CFR § 164.524), you can get a copy of your own records from a HIPAA-covered provider or health plan in Arkansas. Send a written request, and the free letter on this page works, to the provider's Health Information Management or Release of Information office, or use their patient portal if they have one.

How long does a provider in Arkansas have to send my records?

For your own records, the HIPAA clock applies: 30 days, with one 30-day extension if the provider tells you why in writing. For a lawsuit, an insurance claim or a life insurance application, records that exist electronically are due within 30 days. Either way, HIPAA's right of access (45 CFR § 164.524) requires a covered provider to act within 30 days, with one possible 30-day extension if they tell you in writing why and when. Acting on the request is what the rule requires; it does not guarantee the records land on day 30.

How much can a provider in Arkansas charge for copies of my records?

When you ask for your own records, Arkansas applies the federal HIPAA access rules, so a provider may charge only a reasonable, cost-based fee. The state's own price list covers requests for a lawsuit, an insurance claim or a life insurance application: up to 50 cents per page for the first 25 paper pages and 25 cents per page after that, a labor charge of up to $25 per request, $2 to certify, and actual postage. Records that exist electronically cost a flat $75 plus postage. HIPAA separately limits what a covered provider may charge for your own copy to a reasonable, cost-based fee covering copying labor, supplies, postage if you ask for it mailed, and any summary you agreed to. Searching and retrieving are not on that list. Whichever rule protects you more is the one to cite. That federal cap covers copies for you. When you direct records to a third party, a 2020 federal court ruling took the cap off, and state limits are what remain.

Is this records-request letter free?

Yes. The generator builds a HIPAA records-request letter you can download and print for free. Nothing you type is saved or sent to anyone but you.

Medical records request

How to request your medical records in Arkansas

You have a federal right to a copy of your own medical records, in Arkansas and everywhere else. Below is how that right works, what Arkansas adds on top of it, and a free letter you can fill out and send.

Your federal right (applies in every state)

Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule (45 CFR 164.524), you can get a copy of your own medical records without giving a reason. The rule binds HIPAA covered entities, which is most doctors, hospitals, and health plans. It must act on your request within 30 days and may take one 30-day extension if it tells you in writing why and when. It may charge only a reasonable, cost-based fee covering copying labor, supplies, postage if you ask for it mailed, and any summary you agreed to.

Two limits worth knowing. Psychotherapy notes and material prepared for a lawsuit sit outside the right, and access can be denied on the narrow grounds the rule lists, some of which you can have reviewed. And the fee cap covers copies for you. When you direct a provider to send records to someone else, a 2020 federal court ruling (Ciox Health v. Azar) took that cap off, so state limits are what remain.

What Arkansas adds

Response time: For your own records, the HIPAA clock applies: 30 days, with one 30-day extension if the provider tells you why in writing. For a lawsuit, an insurance claim or a life insurance application, records that exist electronically are due within 30 days.
Copy fees: When you ask for your own records, Arkansas applies the federal HIPAA access rules, so a provider may charge only a reasonable, cost-based fee. The state's own price list covers requests for a lawsuit, an insurance claim or a life insurance application: up to 50 cents per page for the first 25 paper pages and 25 cents per page after that, a labor charge of up to $25 per request, $2 to certify, and actual postage. Records that exist electronically cost a flat $75 plus postage.
Worth knowing: Since a 2023 amendment, the HIPAA access rules other than the fee limits also apply when you send your records to an attorney or another third party. If a doctor decides that seeing your records would harm your health, they must say so in writing, and you can pick a second doctor in the same field to review that decision. You pay for the second review.
The law: Ark. Code Ann. § 16-46-106 (Access to medical records for legal proceedings, insurance claims and life insurance applications), as amended by Act 765 of 2023

HIPAA sets a floor, not a ceiling. A Arkansas rule that gives you greater access, a faster deadline or a lower fee, is not preempted, so it stands alongside the federal right. State caps can also carry limits of their own: some apply only to certain kinds of provider, some price electronic copies differently, and some do not apply when a third party is asking. This is general information, not legal advice. Confirm the specifics with your provider's records office.

Source

Ark. Code Ann. § 16-46-106 (Access to medical records for legal proceedings, insurance claims and life insurance applications), as amended by Act 765 of 2023 →

Who it covers: Medical providers, for requests made for a lawsuit, an insurance claim or a life insurance application. A request for your own records follows the federal HIPAA access rules instead.

These figures are what the source said when we read it on October 2, 2026. Many states adjust their caps every year, so confirm the current amount before you argue one.

Requesting records in Arkansas — common questions

How do I request my medical records in Arkansas?: Under your federal right of access (HIPAA, 45 CFR § 164.524), you can get a copy of your own records from a HIPAA-covered provider or health plan in Arkansas. Send a written request, and the free letter on this page works, to the provider's Health Information Management or Release of Information office, or use their patient portal if they have one.
How long does a provider in Arkansas have to send my records?: For your own records, the HIPAA clock applies: 30 days, with one 30-day extension if the provider tells you why in writing. For a lawsuit, an insurance claim or a life insurance application, records that exist electronically are due within 30 days. Either way, HIPAA's right of access (45 CFR § 164.524) requires a covered provider to act within 30 days, with one possible 30-day extension if they tell you in writing why and when. Acting on the request is what the rule requires; it does not guarantee the records land on day 30.
How much can a provider in Arkansas charge for copies of my records?: When you ask for your own records, Arkansas applies the federal HIPAA access rules, so a provider may charge only a reasonable, cost-based fee. The state's own price list covers requests for a lawsuit, an insurance claim or a life insurance application: up to 50 cents per page for the first 25 paper pages and 25 cents per page after that, a labor charge of up to $25 per request, $2 to certify, and actual postage. Records that exist electronically cost a flat $75 plus postage. HIPAA separately limits what a covered provider may charge for your own copy to a reasonable, cost-based fee covering copying labor, supplies, postage if you ask for it mailed, and any summary you agreed to. Searching and retrieving are not on that list. Whichever rule protects you more is the one to cite. That federal cap covers copies for you. When you direct records to a third party, a 2020 federal court ruling took the cap off, and state limits are what remain.
Is this records-request letter free?: Yes. The generator builds a HIPAA records-request letter you can download and print for free. Nothing you type is saved or sent to anyone but you.

Records rules in another state?

What we will never do with your records

This generator runs without an account, and KeptWell itself makes the same promises to every family, regardless of plan or price.

We won't sell your data.: Not to advertisers, not to data brokers, not to insurers, not to pharma, not to anyone, in any form, ever.
We won't train AI models on your records.: KeptWell does not opt in to model training. OpenAI and Anthropic do not use API inputs or outputs to train their models by default.
We won't lock you in.: You can export everything in your circle as a ZIP at any time. Cancellation is one click.

Read the full data practices →

Once your Arkansas records arrive, give them a home.

They usually come back as a stack of PDFs or a disc. Upload them to KeptWell and it reads each one, organizes everything by type and date, and lets your whole family ask questions about it. The medical record organizer that does the organizing. Free today.

Get started

We'll email you a secure sign-in link. It works whether you're new here or already have an account.

More on the product: how it works, the medical record organizer, pricing, and what we do with your data.