Medical Record Retrieval 100% Integrated with SmartAdvocate

With EHR Retrieval:

When a provider is connected to EHR, there are zero medical provider fees. You pay only our flat $49.95 fee, which can be passed through to the client just like any other case expense. Firms save an average of ~$150 per record by eliminating provider fees alone. Faster delivery also accelerates demand packages and settlements, improving cash flow.

With Traditional Retrieval:

Even when EHR is not available, our $49.95 flat fee can be passed through to the client as a case expense. Instead of absorbing internal labor costs, your firm reallocates staff time to higher-value legal work.

Faster records mean faster medical management, quicker demand preparation, and stronger negotiation leverage. Eliminating provider backlogs prevents case stagnation and keeps treatment documentation current.

Our team handles the administrative burden of chasing records, freeing your highly trained paralegals to focus on activities that actually increase case value.

Yes. Medical record retrieval is our sole focus.

We handle retrieval exclusively for law firms and only for firms that operate within a fully integrated CMS environment. Whether through direct EHR access or traditional follow-up processes, our trained team manages the entire lifecycle of the request—from authorization to delivery—so your firm receives organized, indexed records directly inside your CMS.

We have a dedicated development team that builds integrations with new case management systems at no cost to you.

Our goal is 100% CMS integration so records, invoices, and communication logs flow directly into your workflow—whether retrieval is through EHR or traditional methods.

Yes.

You can create a cost cap within your CMS—the maximum provider fee you are willing to approve without review.

With EHR:

There are no provider fees, so the cost cap is typically not triggered. You pay only the $49.95 flat retrieval fee.

With Traditional Retrieval:

If a provider’s invoice exceeds your cost cap, we generate a ticket inside your CMS and notify your case manager for approval. All communication and approvals are documented in your notes tab for a complete audit trail.

With EHR:

Records can often be delivered in 24 hours once client authorization is completed. If a provider is not connected to EHR or the client does not complete the portal authorization, the request automatically falls back to our traditional medical record retrieval process.

EHR Retrieval:

Same-day delivery from 400,000+ connected providers once authorization is secured.

Traditional Retrieval:

Our average turnaround is approximately 21 days.

If a provider is not connected to EHR or the client does not complete the portal authorization, the request automatically falls back to our traditional medical record retrieval process. We then obtain records using standard HIPAA-compliant methods, including direct provider follow-up.

Technology + manpower – Our pricing reflects both the cost of building bilateral CMS integration and the dedicated team who calls providers regularly to secure records quickly.

Fast turnaround – Our national average turnaround time is under 23 days and we pull about 130,000 records a year, much faster than most internal processes.

Proven satisfaction – At Rob Levine Law (where we charge ourselves the exact same rate), fewer than 3% of clients complain about the retrieval fee when signing disbursement sheets. For those who do, the firm waives the cost — still a fraction of the time and money saved by the 97% who pay.

With EHR you eliminate provider fees entirely and often save ~$150 per record while receiving same-day delivery.

We mapped the internal process. It takes 16 steps to collect a medical record.

If you use us, your team completes only the first three:

1. Talk to the client
2. Enter information into your CMS
3. Upload the signed HIPAA

We handle the remaining 13 steps.

The cost of doing it in-house:

• Average case manager wage (with benefits): ~$31.25/hour
• Average time per request: 108 minutes
• Internal cost per record: $56.04+

With EHR:

You also eliminate provider fees (~$150 average savings per record).

Even if you did not pass our fee to the client, outsourcing saves money. Passing it through makes it cost-neutral while freeing significant staff time.

No, and here’s why:

It used to be legal under a Department of Health and Human Services ruling.

But in 2020, the case Azar v. Ciox overturned it. The court ruled that the HITECH Act’s third-party directive cannot be used by law firms or any third party to obtain records for $6.50.

Why it matters: A law firm counts as a “third-party designee.” Using HITECH to request records would be a clear violation of the ruling.

The risks: Firms that continue the practice could face substantial penalties, be forced to pay the full record costs retroactively, and risk allegations of fraud for posing as the client.

We obtain records lawfully through:

• Secure EHR portal authorization
• Proper HIPAA-compliant traditional retrieval methods

Our EHR retrieval is:

• Fully HIPAA compliant
• SOC 2 Type 1 and Type 2 certified
• Encrypted with secure, time-limited authorization links
• Built with strict state and federal privacy compliance

We treat every client record with the same level of confidentiality we use inside our own law firm.

Security is not optional—it is foundational to our process.

Yes. Records On Time can retrieve medical records from both Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems.