GP refuses a request for records

Redmen Rafalution

Are GPs obliged to give patients a copy of their records? The reason I am asking is that I wish to claim tax relief on my GP fees and I do not have all of the receipts from the last few years. The GP is refusing to give me a copy of my list of appointments. Is there anything I can do here? And why would a GP even refuse this in the first place?

Thanks

Miaireland

It would be receipts you need for that not a list of appointmenrd. In many GPS it is up to you to get a receipt at the time, some will reissue at a charge.

r3nu4l

Miaireland is correct. You need to look for copies of receipts (but I doubt you'll get them). I could make 20 appointments and never show up for any of them. There's no way Revenue would accept an appointment as proof of payment.

househero

Is your GP dodging tax

randylonghorn

Redmen Rafalution wrote: »

And why would a GP even refuse this in the first place?

Because it's a fair bit of extra work for someone to go hauling through the records and re-issuing receipts; as said above some will do it but charge for the service.

Redmen Rafalution

r3nu4l wrote: »

Miaireland is correct. You need to look for copies of receipts (but I doubt you'll get them). I could make 20 appointments and never show up for any of them. There's no way Revenue would accept an appointment as proof of payment.

I thought the same, but I have it in writing (email) from revenue that I can indeed claim GP fees without receipts. I couldn't believe it, but there you go. The Med1 form states the direct opposite, but I was told to put the claim through the PAYE online system.

Redmen Rafalution

randylonghorn wrote: »

Because it's a fair bit of extra work for someone to go hauling through the records and re-issuing receipts; as said above some will do it but charge for the service.

I don't want receipts. I could understand the inconvenience of that. But a printout of my appointments is surely more straightforward (although I am open to correction on that).

Redmen Rafalution

househero wrote: »

Is your GP dodging tax

I was wondering the same

echo beach

Redmen Rafalution wrote: »

I thought the same, but I have it in writing (email) from revenue that I can indeed claim GP fees without receipts. I couldn't believe it, but there you go. The Med1 form states the direct opposite, but I was told to put the claim through the PAYE online system.

You don't need to send Revenue the receipts but you need to have them, or other proof of payment like credit card receipts, if they ask you to verify your claim. If the claim is for 2-4 visits in the year and you are also claiming for regular prescriptions they usually don't check. They check a random selection of claims and any that are out of the ordinary.

My GP has a large notice that says a receipt will be issued for every payment (which it is, so no tax dodging) but that no duplicates will be issued so you know it your own responsibility to hold on to them.

huskerdu

Redmen Rafalution wrote: »

I thought the same, but I have it in writing (email) from revenue that I can indeed claim GP fees without receipts. I couldn't believe it, but there you go. The Med1 form states the direct opposite, but I was told to put the claim through the PAYE online system.

But did this email say that if you are chosen for an audit that the lack of receipts will be acceptable to the inspectors.

Here is a direct quote from www.citizensinformation.ie

"Do not send your medical receipts (this includes MED 2) with your MED 1 form. However, you must keep your medical receipts for six years because Revenue may investigate your claim"

El_Dangeroso

Make a request under the data protection act, in most cases they are obliged to give you this information and can charge a max of 6.35 for it.

There are some exceptions to this where it is not in the interest of the patient to disclose certain data to them but I doubt appointment data would fall under this.

davo10

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Make a request under the data protection act, in most cases they are obliged to give you this information and can charge a max of 6.35 for it.

There are some exceptions to this where it is not in the interest of the patient to disclose certain data to them but I doubt appointment data would fall under this.

This is not relevant to ops situation. Op needs a copy of receipts not copy of her medical file. The receipts are given at the time of the appointment and are up to the patient to retain. The receptionist will have to go through file, cross reference appointments with payment ledgers over 4 years and write out new receipts. I can tell you that this is a pain in the ass and administrative staff hate doing it as it is time consuming. The patient has no "right" to this and FOIA/DPA does not apply to this as receipts are not part of a medical record.

El_Dangeroso

davo10 wrote: »

This is not relevant to ops situation. Op needs a copy of receipts not copy of her medical file. The receipts are given at the time of the appointment and are up to the patient to retain. The receptionist will have to go through file, cross reference appointments with payment ledgers over 4 years and write out new receipts. I can tell you that this is a pain in the ass and administrative staff hate doing it as it is time consuming. The patient has no "right" to this and FOIA/DPA does not apply to this as receipts are not part of a medical record.

I was not referring to the receipts but rather the information, which the patient in fact does have a right to a copy of under the DPA.

No doubt there is administrative overhead in getting a copy of the receipts, which the office should rightfully charge a fair fee for, my GP does it at a cost of 10 euro. They have no right however to deny the information which is what the OP was saying.

Kristopherus

El_Dangeroso wrote: »

Make a request under the data protection act, in most cases they are obliged to give you this information and can charge a max of 6.35 for it.

There are some exceptions to this where it is not in the interest of the patient to disclose certain data to them but I doubt appointment data would fall under this.

I doubt very much the the D.P.Act covers doctors, and they are definitely excluded under the F.O.I. Act.

What the OP can do is ask the GP or his/her secretary for a typed list of the payments s/he paid each year.

lonestargirl

Kristopherus wrote: »

I doubt very much the the D.P.Act covers doctors, and they are definitely excluded under the F.O.I. Act.

What the OP can do is ask the GP or his/her secretary for a typed list of the payments s/he paid each year.

Data protection basically covers everyone that FOI doesn't, you are entitled to request the data that any organisation or business holds on you. I used it previously to get a record from a doctor I had visited once in college who wanted a €50 to confirm that I had had chicken pox, €6.35 later and I had my record. Ironically if he had requested a more reasonable fee I would have paid up there and then (I knew the exact date I had visited as it was Holy Thursday and they do have computerised records so it wasn't that much work).