No, I don't think even I can make this into a musical thread. (There's a challenge for you!) But I know there are some Canadians hanging around here, so I thought I'd ask.

I have a patient whose family recently moved to Hawaii from Quebec. I had her mother sign a release form and sent it to her former doctor, asking for copies of her medical records. Today I received a fax from this doctor, asking me to inform the child's mother that they required a $25 transfer fee before they would send the records. Now, it's always been my practice not to charge when providing copies of records for patients who have moved or changed physicians. That's true for most docs in this community, and has been in the other places I've practiced. It's considered a courtesy. Sometimes doctors will charge a reasonable amount for copying, especially if the record is voluminous (fortunately that's seldom the case in pediatrics), or will just send a summary. But this $25 fee seems excessive to me. Is this common practice in Canada? Or elsewhere? I'm curious.

Aloha,
Mark