Health Records

Please review "Sharing your health records" to understand the ways you can give Cornell Health permission to share personal health information.

Need an official copy of your health records?

(2) Submit the form to Cornell Health using one of the following options:

• Upload the form through myCornellHealth (go to Messages > New Message > Send message or attachment to Health Records)
• Fax it to 607-255-0269
• Drop it off or mail it to:
  Cornell Health
  ATTN: Health Records Department
  110 Ho Plaza
  Ithaca , NY 14853-3101

Please do not email your form to us. Email is not a secure means of communication for sharing private health information.

Your health & immunization records

Your confidential health record contains all the information you have provided to Cornell Health, plus documentation of any care you receive from us.

Examples of documentation found in your health record include:

• your new student health history
• your immunization history
• any appointment or treatment you’ve had at Cornell Health
• lab and x-ray reports
• prescriptions
• electronic communication between you and any Cornell Health provider
• documentation of phone consultations
• copies of referrals you may have received
• consult reports (a summary of your visit with the clinician you were referred to)
• any documents received from other clinics (i.e., previous health records)
• any release of information form(s) you have signed

(see “How can I access my health record?” below)

Confidentiality

The privacy and confidentiality of your health record is protected by law.

Health records are maintained through a secure electronic health records (EHR) system, accessible only to Cornell Health’s workforce. We will never release any of your information without your written permission, except in specific situations to protect you or others, or to comply with law. Refer to our Confidentiality & Patient Rights page for complete details.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long are health records kept?

• Students: 7 years after your last date as a registered student
• Faculty and staff: For the entirety of your employment at Cornell; once you’re no longer employed, 7 years after the date of your last visit
• Other patients: 7 years after the date of your last visit
• Occupational medicine patients: 30 years after your last day of employment with Cornell

How can I access my health record / immunization history?

You can view the majority of your health record by logging in to myCornellHealth and clicking “Health Records.” Please see the question about “Protected Health Information (PHI)” below for information about accessing your entire health record.

To access your immunization history, click “Immunization Record.” There is a “print” option on the top right on that page. If you need an official copy of your immunization record, please follow the instructions under "How do I request or share official copies of my health record / immunization history?" below.

Who else can view my health record?

The privacy of your health record is protected by law. Health records are maintained through a secure electronic health records (EHR) system, accessible only to Cornell Health’s workforce.

Cornell Health staff refer to relevant information in your health record only as needed to provide integrated care for you. We reinforce this commitment to confidentiality through yearly mandatory training for all Cornell Health employees. Every staff member and volunteer must sign a confidentiality agreement on an annual basis. Regular audits of the EHR provide an extra measure of protection.

We will never release any of your health information without your written permission, except in the following instances:

• In the event of your treatment at Cayuga Medical Center or another hospital or urgent care center, the community provider and Cornell Health will share relevant health information as needed for continuity of care.
• If, in our judgment, releasing information is necessary to protect you or others from a serious threat to health or safety.
• If it is authorized or required by law.

How do I request or share official copies of my health record / immunization history?

By law, requests for health records and for the release of health information must be made in writing. Please complete our Authorization for Release of Health Records (pdf).

To submit the form to Cornell Health, please use one of these options:

• In person at Cornell Health
• By FAX: 607 255-0269
• By mail:
  Cornell Health
  ATTN: Health Records Department
  110 Ho Plaza
  Ithaca , NY 14853-3101
• Upload at myCornellHealth
  From Home Screen, click on “Messages”
  Then “New message;” then “Send message or attachment to Health Records”
• Please do not email it to us (email is not a secure means of communications)

If you believe it would be helpful for your medical clinician, counselor, or psychiatrist to talk with someone else about your health concerns or treatment, please discuss it with them. Together you can decide what should be shared with whom and during what time frame. We will need your signed permission using the Authorization for Release of Health Records form, above.

Do I have to pay for copies of my health record to be released?

• Copies of records sent directly to another health care provider for treatment are sent free of charge.
• Copies of immunizations are generally provided free of charge (always free of charge when accessed through myCornellHealth).
• If you want copies of health records for other reasons, the charge is 75 cents per page.

How long will it take to receive copies of my health record?

Records will be mailed or ready for pick up as soon as possible, usually within 5 to 10 business days.

Can health records be faxed?

For your protection, it is our policy to fax health records only when they are needed for a patient care encounter and will not arrive in time for the visit if mailed.

How can I send / add non-Cornell medical records to my Cornell Health health record?

Some students want their health record at Cornell Health to contain medical records from other providers to facilitate continuity of care.

If you have your medical records in your possession, you may upload them to your Cornell Health health record by logging in to myCornellHealth (Cornell NetID required). Select Messages > New Message > Send a message or attachment to Health Records. You may also drop off a copy of your records in person.

Otherwise, your provider may send your records to us …

By fax: 607-255-0269
By Mail: Cornell Health
Attn: Health Records Dept.
110 Ho Plaza
Ithaca, NY 15853-3101

How may I request to see or amend the Protected Health Information (PHI) in my health record, or request changes to how my PHI is communicated or disclosed?

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) gives you the right to make the following requests regarding the Protected Health Information (PHI) in your health record:

• Request to Inspect your PHI
• Request to Amend your PHI
• Request for Confidential Communications of your PHI
• Request for an Accounting of Disclosures of your PHI
• Request to Restrict Certain Uses and Disclosures of your PHI
• Request to Restrict Disclosures of your PHI to an Insurer

How do I give permission for my parent(s) or guardians(s) to access my health information?

Please review "Sharing your health records" on our Confidentiality & Patients Rights page to understand the ways you can give Cornell Health either general or specific permission to share personal health information. You may be interested in authorizing Permission to Share Personal Health Information (pdf). We encourage families to have a thoughtful conversation about how to balance the need for privacy with the need for personal or financial support.

How do I appoint a Health Care Proxy?

A health care proxy is someone who you authorize to make health care decisions for you if you become unable, even temporarily, to make health care decisions for yourself. Having someone you trust in this role can be critical in certain emergency situations.

Review this information from the New York State Department of Health about who can be a health care proxy and how to choose your agent. Information and copies of the Health Care Proxy form are provided in various languages.

To designate a health care proxy, complete and submit copies of the Health Care Proxy form to both your chosen proxy and your primary health care provider.

To have your health care proxy form on record with Cornell Health:

• Add your name and Cornell student ID number to your form
• Provide it to us .
  • In person: drop it off at a reception desk at Cornell Health
  • By mail: send to Health Records, Cornell Health, 110 Ho Plaza, Ithaca, NY 14853-3101
  • By fax: send to Cornell Health Records, 607-255-0269
  • Upload at myCornellHealth
    From Home Screen, click on “Messages”
    Then “New message;” then “Send message or attachment to Health Records”
  • Please do not email it to us (email is not a secure means of communications)

  
  Health Records Department

  Phone: 607-255-4082
  Fax: 607-255-0269
  Location: Cornell Health, Level 6

  Our Health Records department maintains patient / clients’ health information through a secure electronic health records (EHR) system. Health Records staff are responsible for understanding and complying with the strict regulations that guide how records are organized and used, and make sure these files are complete, confidential, and accessible to you. The privacy and confidentiality of your records is protected by law.

  The Health Records department also ensures that all Cornell students comply with federal and state health requirements before they matriculate, or as new requirements are imposed.