The Illinois Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is designed to ensure that Illinois residents can obtain information about their government. In 2009, Attorney General Lisa Madigan worked with legislators and a diverse group of individuals and organizations to strengthen FOIA and hold government more accountable.
Illinois law stipulates that all medical professionals must obtain a patients' informed consent before a procedure which includes disclosing information about the nature of the procedure, the expected and potentially unexpected results, risks, complications, and alternatives.
The law requires “data collectors” that own or licenses personal information for any Illinois resident to notify the Illinois resident if there has been any “breach” in the “data collectors” computer systems.
FOIA contains an exemption for records that, if disclosed, would result in a “clearly unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.” An “unwarranted invasion of personal privacy” means the “disclosure of information that is highly personal or objectionable to a reasonable person and in which the subject's right to privacy ...
FOIA is the state Freedom of Information Act. Under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act (5 ILCS 140), records in the possession of public agencies may be accessed by the public upon written request.
FOIA requests must be submitted in writing. The FOIA request should include a clear description of the public record requested. If a request is unclear, IDHR may need to contact you to further clarify the request.
The primary purpose of a release of information form is to protect the patient's privacy and ensure that their medical information is only shared with their consent. It empowers patients to control who has access to their personal health data and under what circumstances.
You can submit your medical records request via email or mail to the hospital from which you're seeking the records. If you send via mail, please address the envelope to the attention of the Health Information Management Department at the hospital. You also can stop in and drop off your request in person.
Under the Illinois Hospital Licensing Act, healthcare facilities must retain the medical records of every patient as per hospital policy and for at least ten years. This act implies that a subpoena for medical records in Illinois can go ten years back.
: a politically organized body of people usually occupying a definite territory. especially : one that is sovereign. b. : the political organization of such a body of people.