How to Obtain Medical Records, Itemized Bills & Radiology from Ascension Health (Ascension Seton, St. Vincent, Via Christi, St. John)
Ascension is one of the largest non-profit health systems in the United States, operating Ascension Seton (Austin/Central TX), Ascension St. Vincent (Indiana), Ascension Saint Thomas (Nashville), Ascension St. John (Tulsa), and Ascension Via Christi (Kansas).
Ascension Health (Ascension Seton, St. Vincent, Via Christi, St. John) Record Retrieval Profile
- ROI Processing Model
- Regional Ascension Health Information Management (HIM) & Contracted ROI Vendors
- Primary States & Statutory Jurisdiction
- TX, IN, MI, WI, FL, TN, AL, OK, KS, IL, MD
- Critical Retrieval & Subpoena Notes
- Ascension's hospital billing and revenue cycle operations are heavily integrated with R1 RCM, requiring separate requests for UB-04 itemized facility bills.
The 3-Department Routing Split at Ascension Health (Ascension Seton, St. Vincent, Via Christi, St. John)
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 Ascension Health (Ascension Seton, St. Vincent, Via Christi, St. John) 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 | Ascension Regional HIM Release of Information (Ascension Seton TX, St. Vincent IN, St. John OK, Via Christi KS, Saint Thomas TN) |
| 2. Patient Financial Services (Billing) | Itemized UB-04 (Facility) & CMS-1500 (Physician) Ledgers with CPT/ICD-10 | Ascension National Revenue Cycle / R1 RCM Patient Financial Services |
| 3. Radiology Film Library (PACS) | Native DICOM Imaging Studies (MRI, CT, X-Ray, Ultrasound) | Campus-Specific Ascension Radiology Department |
State Statutory Copying Fee Caps Governing Ascension Health (Ascension Seton, St. Vincent, Via Christi, St. John)
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 Ascension Health (Ascension Seton, St. Vincent, Via Christi, St. John) are governed by the statutory per-page fee schedule of the state where treatment was rendered:
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)!
Ind. Code § 16-39-9-2 & 760 IAC 1-71-3 • 30 calendar days
Mich. Comp. Laws § 333.26269 (Michigan Medical Records Access Act) • 30 calendar days (60 days if offsite)
Wis. Stat. § 146.83 • 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
Tenn. Code Ann. § 68-11-304 (Hospitals) & § 63-2-102 (Physicians) • 10 working days for physicians (TCA § 63-2-101); reasonable time / 30 days for hospitals
Ala. Code § 12-21-6.1 • 30 calendar days (HIPAA baseline)
76 Okla. Stat. § 19 • 30 calendar days
Kan. Stat. Ann. § 65-4971 • 30 calendar days
735 ILCS 5/8-2001 & 8-2001(d-5) (Illinois Comptroller Annual Rate Adjustment) • 30 calendar days (60 days max with written reason)
Md. Code, Health-Gen. § 4-304 • 21 working days under Md. Code, Health-Gen. § 4-304(a)(1)!