How to transfer your medical records to a new doctor or clinic (EU, UK, US)

You change your family doctor, you move to another city or country, or a specialist asks to see "everything you have". Suddenly your medical history is spread across a GP practice, two hospitals, a laboratory and a drawer at home, and the new doctor has none of it. Transferring your records is your right almost everywhere, but it rarely happens by itself.

This guide explains how a transfer works in the European Union, the UK and the US, what to ask for so the new doctor can actually use what arrives, and how to hand a clinic your record yourself, in a minute, with a QR code.

Your right to your records, in short

You do not need a reason to get a copy of your own health data.

• European Union: under the GDPR you have a right of access (Article 15) and, for data you provided, a right to data portability (Article 20). The provider must answer within one month (extendable in complex cases) and the first copy is free. The European Health Data Space will add a right to have your data sent electronically between providers, in a common European format. More in our guide on medical data in the EU.
• United Kingdom: the UK GDPR gives the same right of access, usually free and within one month. In England, much of your GP record can also be seen in the NHS App.
• United States: HIPAA gives you a right of access to your records, in the form you ask for if it is readily available, normally within 30 days (one 30-day extension is allowed), for a reasonable, cost-based fee at most. You can also ask a provider to send your records directly to another provider.

A request in writing (an email or the provider's form) with your name, date of birth, what you want and in what format is usually enough. Keep a copy of what you sent and when.

Two ways to transfer records

Doctor to doctor. You sign a release or consent form at the new practice, and it asks the old one for your file. It is convenient, but slow and often partial: you rarely see what was sent, scanned letters arrive as images, and lab values arrive as text that the new system cannot chart.

Through you. You get your own copy and give the new doctor what they need. You know what is in it, you keep it for the next time, and you decide what you share. This is the route that works across borders, where the two systems have never heard of each other.

The two are not exclusive. Asking for both is often the best answer: the official file to the new practice, and a copy for yourself.

What to ask for, so the new doctor can use it

A 200-page PDF is a transfer in name only. Ask for:

1. A summary first. Conditions, allergies, current medications with doses, vaccinations, past surgery. Internationally this is the International Patient Summary, a short standard document any doctor can read in seconds.
2. Recent results as data, not only as pictures. Lab results with their units and reference ranges, ideally in an electronic format (HL7 FHIR, or at least a structured PDF from the lab). Values that can be charted show a trend; photos of printouts do not.
3. Key letters and reports. Discharge letters, specialist letters, imaging reports. The written report is what most doctors read first; the images themselves (DICOM) are large and usually requested separately, on a disc or through a download link.
4. Your medication list as it is today, checked by you. Old lists are the most common source of error after a transfer.

If a document is not in your language, keep the original and add a translation; medical codes (ICD-10 for conditions, LOINC for tests, ATC for medicines) help a foreign doctor more than any translation.

How to hand your record to a clinic yourself

When your record is in one place, the transfer becomes a gesture: you choose what to share, the clinic scans a code, and it is done.

In Anpheros Daily, the "Take your record with you" option creates a SMART Health Link, an open standard for sharing health data by QR code or link:

• You choose what goes in: your summary (IPS), the results and documents you pick, and, optionally, imaging.
• You choose for how long the link works, and it is protected by a PIN you give to the clinic separately.
• The clinic opens it in a browser, with nothing to install, or imports it into its own system through FHIR, so values arrive as data, not as screenshots.
• If the clinic uses Anpheros, it can also ask for ongoing access, which you approve or refuse in the app, for a purpose and a period you set.

Every share appears in your history, and you can stop a link before it expires. It does not replace the official transfer between practices; it makes sure the doctor in front of you has what matters today. Anpheros Daily keeps the record itself free on the Basic plan; see the medical records app page.

A short checklist before you change doctor

1. Ask the old practice for a copy of your record (summary, results, letters), in writing.
2. Register with the new practice and sign their request for your file, if they offer one.
3. Update your medication list and allergies yourself; check them against what arrives.
4. Keep your copy in one place, as a digital medical record, so the next transfer takes a minute.
5. At the first visit, share the summary and the latest results, not everything you have.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to transfer medical records?

In the EU and the UK the provider has one month to answer a request for your data; in the US, 30 days, with one possible extension. Doctor-to-doctor transfers often take a few weeks. Sharing your own copy at the visit takes a minute.

Do I have to pay to get my medical records?

In the EU and the UK the first copy is normally free; further copies or clearly excessive requests can be charged. In the US, providers may charge only a reasonable, cost-based fee for a copy.

Can I transfer my medical records to another country?

Yes. Your right to a copy does not depend on where you live next. Ask for an international summary and for results in an electronic format, keep the originals, and add translations where needed. Within the EU, cross-border exchange of patient summaries already works between some countries and will grow with the European Health Data Space.

Is it safe to share my records with a QR code?

A SMART Health Link shares only what you chose, for the time you chose, and the data is encrypted; without the PIN the link does not open. Give the PIN separately from the code, and stop the link when the visit is over if you no longer need it.

Can the new doctor see everything in my record?

Only what you put in the link, or what you approve if the clinic asks for access. Nothing is shared by default.