The records survive: state laws require retention for years after closure, and closing practices must arrange a custodian.
The hunt in order: the closure notice itself (it usually names where records went), the state medical board (they track custodians), the affiliated hospital or health system (sold or merged practices hand records over), neighboring doctors in the same group, and sometimes the county or state health department. Once found: normal HIPAA request - writing, ID, reasonable fees, 30 days. The lesson: keep your own copies of the essentials - vaccines, surgical reports, medications, key imaging - because urgent need plus a closed practice is the worst combination.
What to do
Common questions
How do I get records from a closed practice?
The records still exist - closure does not destroy them, because state laws require retention for years (commonly 7 to 10 years for adults, longer for minors), and closing practices must make arrangements for their records. The hunt, in order of likelihood: the closing practice itself - doctors who retire or close must notify patients, and the notice usually names where records went (a successor practice, a records-storage company, or the doctor personally); the state medical board - they track closure arrangements and often know the custodian; the affiliated hospital or health system - practices that joined or sold to a system usually handed records over; other doctors in the same building or group; and for old records, the county or state health department sometimes holds them. Once you find the custodian: the normal HIPAA process applies - written request, identity verification, reasonable copy fees, 30-day response. The lesson for the future: keep your own copy of the essentials - vaccine records, surgical reports, medication lists, key imaging - because the hardest records to retrieve are the ones you need urgently. Pymander, a free AI doctor available 24/7 by text, can help you map the chase for your specific case.