Medical Correspondence & Your Records

Your right to access your medical records

Under Swiss law — both the DSG and the specific cantonal health laws — you have the right to view and obtain a copy of your own medical records at any time. This includes:

• Consultation notes and clinical assessments
• Laboratory results
• Imaging reports (radiology, ultrasound, etc.)
• Specialist reports and referral letters (Konsiliarberichte)
• Hospital discharge letters (Austrittsbericht)
• Prescription records
• Correspondence between your providers about your care

There are very narrow exceptions — for example, if a treating physician believes that access to a specific note would cause serious harm to the patient's health (this must be individually justified and is rare). General administrative concerns or inconvenience are not valid reasons to deny access.

How to request your records

To obtain copies of your medical records:

1. Contact the practice or hospital directly. Ask for the patient records office (Patientenreklamationsstelle or Abrechnungsabteilung) or, in a GP practice, the practice manager.
2. Make the request in writing if the practice requires it. A brief email or letter stating your name, date of birth, and the records you want is sufficient. You do not need to provide a reason.
3. Provide identification. Practices will ask to verify your identity before releasing records. A copy of your ID or a confirmation in person is standard.
4. Specify what you want. You can request everything, or specific documents (e.g. "all records from 2023" or "the discharge letter from my hospitalisation in October 2024").

Practices have 30 days to respond (under the DSG access timeline). They may charge an administrative fee for copying and preparation — typically CHF 20–60 for a standard patient file, more for large volumes. The fee should not be prohibitive.

Aktenstudium in Abwesenheit

Aktenstudium in Abwesenheit literally means "file study in the absence of [the treating physician]." This is your right to review your medical records without having to do so in a supervised setting with your doctor present. Some older practices historically insisted that patients could only see their file during an appointment with the doctor — the modern legal position clearly supports independent access.

If a practice insists on making you view your records only in a supervised consultation, you can point to your access rights under the DSG. In practice, most practices in Switzerland now provide copies on request without requiring a consultation.

Requesting corrections

If your records contain factual errors — wrong dates, incorrect medication doses, misattributed diagnoses — you can request that the practice correct them. The practice is obliged to correct factual inaccuracies. For matters of medical opinion (e.g. a differential diagnosis you disagree with), you can request that a note of dispute be added, but the practice is not obliged to change their clinical judgment.

Send correction requests in writing. The practice should confirm the correction in writing. Keep a copy of all correspondence.

Who else receives your medical correspondence?

Medical correspondence flows in several directions — understanding this helps you know who has seen what:

• GP to specialist: The referral letter contains your history and the reason for referral. Sent with your consent (implied by seeking the referral).
• Specialist back to GP: The consultation report (Konsiliarbrief) summarises findings and recommendations. You are usually entitled to a copy — ask for one.
• Hospital to GP: The discharge letter (Austrittsbericht) goes to your GP after a hospital stay. You should receive a copy automatically — ask if it is not provided.
• Practice to insurer: Only billing codes and invoices — not clinical notes.
• Practice to employer: Nothing without your explicit consent. Sick notes state the absence duration but not the diagnosis.

Managing correspondence preferences

You can specify preferences to your healthcare providers:

• Ask to always receive a copy of specialist reports before they go to your GP
• Request that results be shared with you electronically rather than by post
• If you have a partner or family member you want informed, sign a specific consent allowing this — otherwise no information can be shared with them
• If you do not want certain sensitive information (e.g. mental health records, substance use history) shared with other providers, you can specify this — though it may limit coordinated care

Managing your correspondence preferences actively is part of being an empowered patient in the Swiss system. You have the right to be informed and in control.