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Does the Insurance Company Have a Right to My Electronic Medical Records After a Car Crash? 

woman looking at medical records on laptop

After a car crash in Mobile, insurance companies move quickly. One of the first things they often ask for is authorization to access to your electronic medical records. Granting this access could damage your injury claim.

You are not required to give the insurance company unrestricted access to your electronic medical records. However, once you sign a broad release, you can’t undo it. What you do in the days after your accident matters.

Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys protects the medical privacy of car accident victims in Mobile, Alabama while aggressively pursuing full compensation. We limit the insurance company’s access to only your crash-related medical records and prepare every case for trial.

Before you sign anything, we make sure you know your rights.
Call Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys at 251-888-8888 for a free case review.

Why Is the Insurance Company Asking for Access to My Electronic Medical Records (EMRs)? 

Insurance companies ask for broad access to your electronic medical records because it helps them reduce or deny your claim. This is not about verifying your injuries— it’s about finding information they can use against you.

When you sign a blanket medical release after a car accident in Mobile, the insurance company gains access to years of unrelated medical history. Adjusters review old doctor visits, past injuries, mental health treatment, prescription records, and even minor medical issues that have nothing to do with your crash.

That information is then used to shift blame or minimize your injuries. A back injury from years ago becomes their excuse to deny your current pain. Prior anxiety treatment becomes an argument that you’re exaggerating emotional distress. Past prescriptions are framed as proof of chronic pain unrelated to the accident.

In Alabama, this tactic is especially dangerous. Because contributory negligence can bar compensation entirely, insurance companies look for anything they can use to argue your injuries were not caused by the crash— or that you were already “hurt before.”

This is why insurance adjusters push so hard for unrestricted medical access early in the claims process. The more information they have, the easier it is for them to avoid paying what your claim is worth.

Does the Insurance Company in My Injury Case Have a Right to See My Electronic Medical Records in Mobile, AL? 

The most effective way to limit insurance company access to your electronic medical records is to speak with a personal injury lawyer before signing anything. Insurance adjusters often push accident victims in Mobile to sign medical releases immediately, but you are not required to do so.

You can — and should — tell the insurance company that you need legal advice before agreeing to provide medical records. No matter how friendly or reassuring the adjuster sounds, their goal is to obtain unrestricted access as early as possible. You have the right to protect your best interests.

At Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys, we review every medical authorization before our clients sign it. We draft limited medical releases that only allow access to records directly related to injuries from the car accident. This ensures the insurance company gets what the law requires — without exposing unrelated, private health information that could be used against your claim.

We also handle all communication with the insurance company regarding medical records. That prevents adjusters from pressuring you into signing overly broad release forms or misrepresenting what you are required to provide.

Limiting access from the beginning protects your privacy and preserves the strength of your case — especially under Alabama’s strict contributory negligence rules.

Why Limiting Access to Your Electronic Medical Records Matters in a Personal Injury Case

Limiting access to your electronic medical records protects your injury claim from unfair attacks by insurance companies. When adjusters gain access to unrelated health information, they use it to question your credibility, minimize your injuries, and reduce settlement offers.

A narrow medical authorization forces the insurance company to focus on what actually matters: the injuries caused by your Mobile car accident. When adjusters can’t rely on irrelevant medical history, they lose leverage during negotiations.

How Unrelated Medical Records Hurt Your Case:

  • Pre-Existing Conditions Become Excuses: Insurance companies highlight old injuries or prior treatment to argue your current pain existed before the crash—even when the accident clearly made your condition worse.
  • Mental Health Records Get Misused: Adjusters twist past anxiety, depression, or counseling into claims that you’re exaggerating physical pain or emotional distress.
  • Prescription Histories Raise Red Flags:Past prescriptions for pain or other conditions are used to suggest chronic issues unrelated to your accident.
  • Privacy Violations Weaken Negotiations: When insurance companies hold sensitive or embarrassing health information, they gain unfair leverage they can use to pressure accident victims into accepting lower settlements

In Alabama, where contributory negligence can eliminate compensation entirely, allowing insurers access to unrelated medical records only strengthens their ability to deny valid claims.

How Our Mobile Personal Injury Lawyers Ensure the Insurance Company Gets Limited Access to Your Electronic Medical Records

When the legal team at Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys handles your Mobile car accident case, we make sure insurance companies no longer control the process — we do. From day one, our experienced car accident lawyers in Mobile review every medical authorization before you sign anything. If an insurance company sends an overly broad release, we reject it. We then prepare a limited medical authorization that allows access only to records directly related to your crash injuries and treatment dates.

How we protect your medical privacy:

  • Review All Release Forms: We carefully examine every medical authorization and block requests that seek unrelated or excessive records.
  • Draft Limited Authorizations: We create narrowly tailored releases that specify healthcare providers, treatment dates, and crash-related injuries—nothing more.
  • Communicate Directly With Adjusters: We communicate directly with insurance companies to prevent adjusters from pressuring you or misrepresenting what you’re required to provide.
  • Object to Improper Requests: When insurers demand irrelevant medical records, we push back and protect your privacy under Alabama law.
  • Coordinate With Your Doctors: We work directly with healthcare providers in Mobile to ensure only appropriate, accident-related records are released.

This level of control protects your claim, preserves your leverage, and positions your case for full compensation—whether through settlement or trial.

Frequently Asked Questions Victims Have About Giving Insurance Companies Access to Their Electronic Medical Records

What federal law protects my medical records?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects your medical records. This federal law gives you control over who can access your health information. Healthcare providers must have your written authorization before releasing medical records to an insurance company.

Does HIPAA protect electronic medical records?

Yes. The HIPAA Privacy Rule specifically applies to electronic medical records. It requires healthcare providers to safeguard digital health information and limits who can access it without your permission.

Do I have to give the insurance company my medical records after a car accident?

You must provide medical records that document injuries caused by the accident. However, you are not required to give the insurance company unrestricted access to your entire medical history. Any authorization should be limited to accident-related treatment only.

How can I restrict insurance company access to my electronic medical records?

Contact Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys at 251-888-8888 before signing any medical release. We review all authorizations and prepare limited medical releases that only allow access to records related to your Mobile car accident injuries.

Is it okay to sign a medical release for my personal injury claim?

Yes—but only after an attorney reviews it. A properly drafted medical release should be narrow and specific. Never sign a blanket authorization that gives the insurance company unlimited access to your health history.

Why Hire “Andy Wins” to Manage Your Mobile Personal Injury Case

Alabama’s contributory negligence rule allows insurance companies to deny compensation if they can blame you for even one percent of your accident. Adjusters exploit this harsh law by digging through medical records, searching for anything they can use to shift blame or question whether your injuries were caused by the crash.

Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys stops those tactics before they derail your case. We control access to your medical records to prevent insurance companies from misusing unrelated health information and keep the focus where it belongs—on the harm caused by the at-fault driver.

The Only Realistic Mock Courtroom in Alabama

Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys proudly operates the only realistic mock courtroom in Alabama. We use this facility to prepare for trial and to fully prepare our clients for what to expect. This level of preparation strengthens cases, builds confidence, and puts pressure on insurance companies that would rather avoid a courtroom.

We Prepare Every Case for Trial

Insurance companies know which firms settle quickly and which ones are ready to go to court. We prepare every case as if it’s going to trial—and we push for trial when it avoids delay tactics and serves our clients’ best interests. That reputation alone can change how adjusters approach your claim.

We Aggressively Pursue Full Compensation

Insurance companies often delay negotiations hoping injured victims will give up or accept less. We don’t allow that. Our team aggressively pursues full compensation and refuses to back down from unfair arguments designed to reduce what you’re owed.

Injured in Mobile, Alabama? Call Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys Today

Your medical privacy directly affects the value of your car accident claim. Insurance companies push for unrestricted access to your health records because it gives them leverage to pay you less—or deny your claim entirely.

Every day you wait gives adjusters more time to pressure you into signing away your rights. Once broad access to your medical records is granted, it cannot be undone.

Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys protects your medical privacy and fights for full compensation after a Mobile car accident. We don’t let insurance companies exploit Alabama’s harsh negligence law, and we don’t back down from unfair tactics.

Don’t let insurers use your private health information against you.
Call Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys at 251-888-8888 now for a free consultation.

Profile photo of Andy Citrin

Andy is the owner and CEO of Citrin Law Firm, P.C. He founded the firm in 1995 with the goal of helping injured people put their lives back together. His passion for protecting injured people has only grown since he opened the doors of Andy Citrin Injury Attorneys, and he has a history of winning numerous multimillion-dollar verdicts and settlements for his clients.