Medical Records Storage Requirements

Five steps to protecting paper medical records 1.

Medical records storage requirements.

Storage medical records and phi must be stored where there is controlled access we recommend that medical records and phi stored. Medical records privacy laws outline patients rights to secrecy of their medical information and the circumstances under which that information may or must be disclosed. No open shelves in a patient or research. When determining your medical records storage requirements it is important to estimate the data growth for at least the next five years while also increasing your estimate by anywhere from 5 to 20 to deal with unexpected levels of consumption.

Records for adult patients must be maintained for a minimum of seven years from date of last patient encounter. Implement safe storage basics. We recommend that medical records and phi stored in hallways that are accessible by unauthorized individuals should be. Medical records and protected health information phi financial records like auditor s reports employee payroll records financial statements and general ledgers business records like articles of incorporation contracts and agreements and legal correspondence.

A needs assessment takes into account the current state of your records storage. Start with a needs assessment.