Medical Records Office

Health Records Office hours: 8:00am - 4:00pm, Monday-Friday

Phone Number: 626.307.2100

Fax Number: 626.307.2186

Requests for Medical Records

To begin the process of obtaining copies of your medical records, please print and complete the form titled " Patient's Request for Access to Protected Health Information."

If you need to have copies of your record released to another individual or hospital, please print and complete the form titled "Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Protected Health Information."

In order for Health Information Management to process your request, all information requested must be provided.

Please fax your completed form(s) to 626.307.2186 or mail to:


If you are unable to print the above forms, please call the Health Information Management Office at (626) 307.2100 Ext. 2100.

Once your request is received by Health Information Management, it will be mailed to you unless arrangements are made to pick up your copy.

Medical records will be faxed or mailed to another hospital or physician's office if requested by a completed Authorization for Use or Disclosure of Protected Health Information.

A spouse, relative or friend cannot obtain a copy of your medical records, or pick up records for you, unless the individual has Power of Attorney for Healthcare Decisions for you. A copy of the Power of Attorney for Healthcare Decisions must be included with your request.

The pertinent part of the medical record is available to patients at no charge. This includes the discharge summary, history & physical, consultations, procedural reports, radiology (diagnostic imaging) and laboratory reports. For copies of additional portions of the medical record, a fee of 25 cents per page will be charged to you. A bill may be mailed prior to the records being copied and sent to you. There is no charge if the copies of the records are sent to physicians for your follow-up care or treatment.

Birth Certificates

Birth certificates are processed by the Health Information Management Department and sent to the State of California. Garfield Medical Center does not issue birth certificates.

If the child is under one year of age, you may request a copy from the Los Angeles County Vital Records Birth Registrar's Office (Vital Records Office) located at 313 North Figueroa Street : Room 1, Los Angeles, CA 90012 . The phone number for the Vital Record's Office is (213) 288-7812. Information can be obtained on their website at www.publichealth.lacounty.gov. The current fee for a birth certificate is $28.00.

If you cannot apply in person, you may complete an application and send a notarized statement with the application and the fee (check or money order to the County of Los Angeles to the above address. If the child is over one year of age, a copy of the birth certificate can be requested from the Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder. Please address your request to: Attention: Birth Certificates, 4716 E. Cesar Chavez Ave., East Los Angeles, CA 90022, the website is www.lavote.net. For more information, contact the Recorder's Office at (323) 260-2991.

Death Certificates

Death certificates are not issued by the hospital. Information on obtaining death certificates may be obtained from www.publichealth.lacounty.gov or www.lavote.net. Death certificates occurring within the county of Los Angeles, except for Long Beach and Pasadena, may be obtained from the Vital Records Office for the current year and prior year. The fee is $21.00 and pertains to County Deaths only from the year 1877 forward.