Which of the following statements is true in regard to responding to requests from individuals for access to their protected health information (PHI)?

The correct statement regarding responding to requests for access to protected health information (PHI) is that a cost-based fee may be charged for making a copy of the PHI. This is consistent with regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which allow healthcare providers to charge individuals a reasonable fee for the costs associated with the provision of copies of their health records. These costs can include expenses related to printing, postage, and supplies used to create the copies.

This framework is designed to ensure that healthcare entities can recover their costs for this service while still providing patients access to their own health information. The concept of charging for copying serves to strike a balance between providing access to patients and managing the operational costs associated with handling such requests.

While retrieval fees might be considered, particularly for extensive or complex requests, the primary focus regarding access is on the copying aspect, as this is the most commonly addressed in discussions of fees related to PHI access.