A brief history
“Bryce Hospital opened in 1861 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. It is Alabama’s oldest and largest inpatient psychiatric facility. First known as the Alabama State Hospital for the Insane and later as the Alabama Insane Hospital, the building is considered an architectural model.” –From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bryce Hospital patient records and genealogy
Since Bryce Hospital was opened in 1861 and there hasn’t been any widespread loss of records, there is a good chance that if you had an ancestor at the hospital and you can meet the requirements, you might get lucky and find personal details, diagnoses, intake/discharge, and treatment forms.
For the purposes of this blog post, We will only be referring to patient records of any patient that has been deceased for 50 or more years.
Accessing Records
In order to access patient records, you must comply with HIPAA Privacy Rules. Here is an excerpt about the rules.
Health Information of Deceased Individuals
45 CFR 160.103, paragraph (2)(iv) of the definition of “protected health information”
Background
The HIPAA Privacy Rule protects the individually identifiable health information about a decedent for 50 years following the date of death of the individual. This period of protection for decedent health information balances the privacy interests of surviving relatives and other individuals with a relationship to the decedent, with the need for archivists, biographers, historians, and others to access old or ancient records on deceased individuals for historical purposes.
For further reading or questions, please visit U. S. Department of Health and Human Services: HIPAA FAQ’s for Individuals
To get started, you’ll need to email DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH/BRYCE HOSPITAL: bryce.him@bryce.mh.alabama.gov and request the authorization form for release of patient records. You can also call them at 205-507-8000.
They will email you the authorization form and a few other documents to read. You must also prove your relation to the individual whose records you are requesting. Here is an excerpt from one of the documents you will receive explaining what documents you may submit.
“We received your communication for information regarding your relative. Please complete the enclosed authorization form in its entirety. To complete a search, we will need documentation that provides proof of kinship. The proof of kinship documentation must clearly show your relationship to the patient. Some examples of this documentation are certificates of birth/death, ancestry/family tree information, or other legal documentation. Once this information is received, the search can begin. If you are unable to provide documentation that proves kinship, then the requested information cannot be released.”
*Note* Records before 1897 are usually a summery because they are in ledger books but after that date they are on microfiche and can be copied.
They also request that you submit the authorization form and copies of documents to show relation by USPS, since they aren’t allowed to send HIPAA protected material via email.
I was informed that they offer access to these records for genealogists as a courtesy, as they prioritize current patients first. It is best to submit (1) request at a time as it can delay you getting the records. It can take as long as (1) year in some extreme cases. Normally it’s within 2-3 months.
Cost
There is a charge for the records. It consists of a $40 research fee plus $1.00 per page for the first 25 pages and $.50 a page for any pages over 25.
That’s it! I submitted 4 requests this week and am patiently awaiting to see what I get back. I really hope this helps someone. I wrote this because of my experience not being able to find very good information online.
