Medical Records Retention & Disposal Guidelines When Closing a Medical Practice
Reaching the financial security threshold where you can comfortably retire after years of running your own medical practice is certainly admirable. Retirement is an exciting time where you can finally relax and partake in more things you love. You can travel the world with your spouse or spend more time with your children and grandchildren. If you have a favorite hobby like photography or woodworking, you can also devote more time to that.
However, before you get ahead of yourself and start planning a three month Mediterranean cruise, you need to take care of retiring and closing your medical practice. There are many things that need to be considered, but how you will manage your documents is one of the most important. You have filing cabinets teeming with important and personal patient information that needs to be properly retained and disposed of.
General Guidelines for Retaining Medical Records
When you are closing a medical practice, you must make appropriate plans to dispose and retain medical records. That means retaining records according to state regulations and securely disposing of records according to HIPAA guidelines. Without doing so, you are risking a possible lawsuit.
While states have different laws regulating record retention, as a general guideline you should keep records for adult patients for at least 10 years from their last office visit, records for minors at least 28 years from their birth date, and deceased patient records at least 5 years after their death. While these numbers are just guidelines and you should always consult state and federal guidelines, it begs the question – where are you going to store these records when you retire?
Datafied Can Help You Manage Records after Closing Your Practice
Do you need assistance managing medical records after closing your practice? If so, you’ll be happy to hear that Datafied offers record storage and shredding services. If you need someone to properly store records, we have a secure facility. If you need someone to shred or act as your Release of Information provider, Datafied can also assist.
Are you ready to get started with Datafied?
If you are interested in closing your medical practice in the near future, it’s never too early to reach out to us regarding medical record retention and disposal. At Datafied, we can do it all. Our state of the art, secure storage facilities can house records that need to be retained, and we can also securely shred records that need to be disposed of. We are 100% HIPAA compliant so you can rest assured that files will be handled with the upmost care. If you are ready to discuss record management regarding closing your medical practice, give us a call today at 800-765-7510. We’ll be happy to work with you towards the ultimate goal of closing your medical practice and retiring!
