How to Obtain Medical Records, Itemized Bills & Radiology from Steward Health Care (Bankrupt / Closed & Transferred Hospital Record Custodians)
Following Steward Health Care's Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2024, its 31 hospitals across Massachusetts, Florida, Texas, Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, and Arkansas were either permanently closed (such as Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Massachusetts) or sold to new operators (such as Boston Medical Center, Lifespan/Brown Health, Lawrence General, Orlando Health, and HonorHealth in Arizona).
Steward Health Care (Bankrupt / Closed & Transferred Hospital Record Custodians) Record Retrieval Profile
- ROI Processing Model
- Divided by 2024–2025 Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Sales: Acquiring Health Systems vs. Official Closed-Facility Record Custodians
- Primary States & Statutory Jurisdiction
- MA, FL, TX, AZ, OH, PA, LA, AR, UT
- Critical Retrieval & Subpoena Notes
- Sending a request to an old Steward Health Care fax number will fail. Our retrieval team checks the exact date of service and hospital campus against the post-bankruptcy custodian matrix to route your request to either the acquiring health system's legacy HIM desk or the court-appointed archival custodian.
The 3-Department Routing Split at Steward Health Care (Bankrupt / Closed & Transferred Hospital Record Custodians)
A standard medical record request sent only to Health Information Management (HIM) will almost never return itemized billing ledgers or native DICOM imaging. Below is how Steward Health Care (Bankrupt / Closed & Transferred Hospital Record Custodians) separates record production across three distinct units:
| Department Unit | Document Deliverable | Routing & Retrieval Protocol |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Clinical HIM / Release of Information | Discharge Summaries, Operative Notes, ED Nursing Logs, Labs | Must route by specific campus disposition: (1) Sold Massachusetts hospitals -> Boston Medical Center (St. Elizabeth's, Good Samaritan), Lawrence General (Holy Family), Lifespan/Brown (St. Anne's, Morton); (2) Sold Florida hospitals -> Orlando Health (Melbourne, Rockledge, Sebastian River) & AHS/Tampa General; (3) Permanently Closed Hospitals (Carney Hospital Dorchester, Nashoba Valley, Norwood Hospital, Sharon Hospital, Texas Vista, etc.) -> Designated Bankruptcy Record Custodian! |
| 2. Patient Financial Services (Billing) | Itemized UB-04 (Facility) & CMS-1500 (Physician) Ledgers with CPT/ICD-10 | Historical Steward Revenue Cycle / Bankruptcy Estate Custodian vs. New Acquiring Operator (by date of service) |
| 3. Radiology Film Library (PACS) | Native DICOM Imaging Studies (MRI, CT, X-Ray, Ultrasound) | Legacy PACS Archive / Acquiring Hospital Radiology Library |
State Statutory Copying Fee Caps Governing Steward Health Care (Bankrupt / Closed & Transferred Hospital Record Custodians)
While direct-to-patient requests under 45 CFR § 164.524(c)(4) qualify for the federal cost-based labor rate, third-party attorney and subpoena requests to Steward Health Care (Bankrupt / Closed & Transferred Hospital Record Custodians) are governed by the statutory per-page fee schedule of the state where treatment was rendered:
Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 111, § 70 (Hospitals) & ch. 112, § 12CC (Physicians) • 30 calendar days
Fla. Stat. § 395.3025 (Hospitals) & § 456.057 / Fla. Admin. Code 64B8-10.003 (Physicians) • Within a 'timely manner' / 30 days max under HIPAA
Tex. Health & Safety Code § 241.154 (Hospitals) & 22 TAC § 165.2 (Physicians) • 15 business days after receipt of request and fee under Tex. Health & Safety Code § 241.154(b)!
Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 12-2295 & § 12-2293 • 30 calendar days (HIPAA baseline)
Ohio Rev. Code § 3701.741 & § 3701.742 (Annual CPI Adjustment) • 30 calendar days
42 Pa.C.S. § 6152 & § 6152.1 (Annual PA Dept. of Health Secretary Notice) • 30 calendar days
La. R.S. 40:1165.1 • 15 days after receipt of request & reasonable fees under La. R.S. 40:1165.1(A)(2)(c)!
Ark. Code Ann. § 16-46-106 • 30 calendar days (HIPAA baseline)
Utah Code Ann. § 78B-5-618 • 30 calendar days