You have a federal right to copies of your own X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, and their reports. After a car accident, getting both your new imaging and any prior spinal imaging matters, because comparing the two is often the strongest evidence of what changed. This is how I explain the process to patients in Charlotte.
Your Right of Access
Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule, at 45 CFR 164.524, you have the right to inspect and obtain copies of your health information. As summarized by the UNC School of Government, a covered provider must act on your request within 30 calendar days, by providing the records or giving written notice of a denial, and can take only one 30-day extension per request (45 CFR 164.524, UNC School of Government summary). A provider may charge only a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies, and the federal Office for Civil Rights has described three permitted methods for calculating that fee.
Ask for the Images, Not Just the Report
A radiology report is the radiologist's written interpretation. The images are the study itself. Ask for both. Imaging is usually provided on a disc or through a secure download, often in the DICOM format used by imaging systems. With the images, another clinician can measure them directly rather than relying on someone else's summary.
Why Prior Imaging Matters
Many spinal findings are common in people with no pain. In a systematic review of 3,110 pain-free people, lumbar disc bulges ranged from 30% at age 20 to 84% at age 80 (Brinjikji, AJNR 2015). A single post-crash image often cannot show whether a finding is new.
Prior images can. A retrospective case series of 41 patients with cervical X-rays before and after a collision measured an average loss of about 8 degrees of the neck curve after the crash (Haas, Diagnostics 2024). That series had no control group, and its authors include Chiropractic Biophysics NonProfit and PostureCo affiliations. The method it demonstrates, measuring the same thing on films before and after, is the strongest way to show change.
What to Request
List every place you have had spinal imaging, including emergency departments, urgent care, imaging centers, orthopedic and chiropractic offices, and sports injury visits. For each, request the images and the reports, and note the dates. Keep your own copies.
How I Use Them
When prior films exist, I measure them the same way as the current films and report the comparison. When they do not, I say so in the record, so no one assumes a comparison was made.
For an example of how post-collision imaging findings and outcomes are documented in the peer-reviewed literature, read the published case report on refractory lumbar pain following a motor vehicle accident in a geriatric patient by Dr. Justin Dick, DC.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get copies of my X-rays or MRI?
Request them from the provider or imaging center that performed them. Under HIPAA, they must act on your request within 30 calendar days and may take one 30-day extension.
Can a provider charge me for copies of my imaging?
Only a reasonable, cost-based fee for copies, under 45 CFR 164.524.
Should I ask for the images or just the report?
Both. The report is an interpretation. The images let another clinician measure the study directly.
Why does prior spinal imaging matter after a car accident?
Many findings are common without pain and cannot be dated on a single image. Comparing prior and current images is the strongest way to show change.
Does Dr. Justin Dick, DC compare old and new imaging?
Yes. Dr. Justin Dick, DC in Charlotte, NC measures prior and current films the same way and reports the comparison, or notes when no prior films exist.
Where can I get spinal imaging reviewed after a car accident in Charlotte, NC?
Dr. Justin Dick, DC, CNMT, ARRT(N)(CT), sees car accident patients at Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center, 8814 Rachel Freeman Wy, Ste 103, Charlotte, NC 28278, phone 980-368-0766. Personal injury patients are treated on a lien basis, with no out-of-pocket payment at the time of care.
Sources and Evidence Tiers
- 45 CFR 164.524, individual right of access, as summarized in: HIPAA and the Right of Access: A Q&A for Covered Entities. UNC School of Government, Coates' Canons blog. LinkEvidence tier: Federal regulation, summarized by a state university law school
- Haas JW, Oakley PA, Ferrantelli JR, Katz EA, Moustafa IM, Harrison DE. Abnormal static sagittal cervical curvatures following motor vehicle collisions: a retrospective case series of 41 patients before and after a crash exposure. Diagnostics (Basel). 2024;14(9):957. PMID 38732372. LinkEvidence tier: Retrospective case series; authors include CBP NonProfit and PostureCo affiliations
- Brinjikji W, Luetmer PH, Comstock B, et al. Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2015;36(4):811-816. PMID 25430861. LinkEvidence tier: Systematic review
About the author. Dr. Justin Dick, DC, is the owner and treating clinician at Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center in Charlotte, NC. He holds dual imaging credentials as a Certified Nuclear Medicine Technologist (CNMT) and as an ARRT-registered technologist in nuclear medicine and CT, ARRT(N)(CT). He is a Senior Fellow of the CLEAR Institute, holds the ISICO World Masters credential, is a SOSORT provisional member, and is a certified DOT medical examiner on the FMCSA National Registry. He has multiple peer-reviewed publications indexed in PubMed and serves as a field doctor for Life, Sherman, and Palmer chiropractic colleges. ORCID: 0009-0001-2794-2159.
Service Area
Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center sees personal injury and spinal imaging patients from Charlotte NC, Huntersville NC, Ballantyne NC, Matthews NC, Concord NC, Mooresville NC, Rock Hill SC, and Fort Mill SC.
Related Pages
- Personal injury and car accident spinal care in Charlotte
- Research by Dr. Justin Dick, DC
- Case report: refractory lumbar pain after a motor vehicle accident
- Research and evidence at Clear Life
- Questions and answers
- Our team
- Press
- Book your evaluation
- Contact Clear Life
Clear Life Scoliosis and Chiropractic Center
8814 Rachel Freeman Wy, Ste 103
Charlotte, NC 28278
Phone: 980-368-0766
Email: office@clearlifescoliosis.com
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