I got hired by a federal law enforcement agency and must now submit to a medical exam. My physical will be with an in-house federal doctor. I know that the agency can access the results of this physical, what I am wondering is if they can access my complete medical records. I've read that they can only access records that I give them consent to look at. For example, if I sign a consent form to look at my records at "Hospital A", they can. However, if I made no mention about my records at Hospital B and never gave consent, then they cannot access those records. I'm wondering if this policy is true? Also, when it comes to medical records, do they even care about anything but the results from the physical. I'm getting the feeling that the medical exam isn't a big deal, they just want to see if your capable of walking, talking, hearing, seeing, and other basic activities?
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By law they cannot see medical records you do not give written permission for them to. It's called HIPAA. You have to sign off that you give them that permission. They can ask, but you can refuse.
Their need for your medical records would probably be to make sure that you are in good physical condition, unless it is a seriously important or dangerous position and then they may need all of your records...mental health, old injuries, etc.