Records
Asking for your own medical records, step by step
Who to write to, what to ask for, and why the imaging and the nursing notes matter as much as the doctor’s summary.
Cecily Hartsock6 min read
Medical malpractice in Central Illinois
When care goes wrong, you are owed
a straight answer
We act for patients and families in Peoria, Bloomington and Champaign. Before we take a case, a physician reads the records. We turn down most of what we review, and we tell you why.
Watch first
How we read your records before we say yes
Cecily Hartsock walks through what a first review looks like: what we ask for, what a physician looks at, and how you hear the answer.
If we decline, you get our reasons in writing and your records back. Many families find that answer as useful as a yes.
A records review, from request to decision
Guides
Guides for the weeks after
Plain answers for patients and families who are still working out what happened.
- First steps
What to write down in the first week
A notebook kept now is worth more than memory later. What to record, and what to leave to us.
Isadora Kolodny5 min read - Process
From the first call to a decision
The stages of a case review, who does what, and when you will hear from us.
Caspar Verhoeven4 min read
What we review
Four kinds of care we are asked about most
Each begins the same way: with the chart, and a doctor’s opinion of it.
Missed and late diagnosis
A symptom was on record, and the answer came months too late.
Read about diagnosis cases
Birth injuries
A delivery that was slow to act, or a newborn who was not watched closely.
Read about birth injuries
Medication errors
The wrong drug, the wrong dose, or an interaction no one checked.
Read about medication errors
Nursing home neglect
A parent who fell, lost weight or developed sores in a home that said all was well.
Read about nursing homes
The lawyers
Three lawyers you can ask for by name
One in each office. Whoever you reach first, the whole firm reads your case.
Cecily Hartsock
Founding partner, Peoria
Caspar Verhoeven
Partner, Bloomington
Isadora Kolodny
Partner, Champaign
Three offices
Come to us, or we will come to you
We will meet at a hospital bedside or a kitchen table if travel is hard.
Peoria
Address: 500 Main Street, Suite 640 Peoria, IL 61602Phone: (309) 555-0127Hours: Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.Downtown, with parking nearby.
Directions to the Peoria officeBloomington
Address: 201 East Washington Street, Suite 300 Bloomington, IL 61701Phone: (309) 555-0163Hours: Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.Ground-floor entrance on the Washington Street side.
Directions to the Bloomington officeChampaign
Address: 101 North Neil Street, Suite 210 Champaign, IL 61820Phone: (217) 555-0148Hours: Monday to Friday: 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.Street parking and a public lot close by.
Directions to the Champaign office
No fee unless we recover
Tell us what happened, in your own words
A lawyer reads every message and writes back within one business day. You do not need your records to start.
There is no fee for the review, and no fee at all unless we recover money for you. Case costs such as record fees, expert review and filing fees are set out in a written fee agreement we go through with you before you sign.