 The laws vary from state to state. The California Medical Association website states:  There is no general law requiring a physician to maintain records for a specific period of time.  However, there are situations or government health plans such as:  Medi-Cal, Emergency Medical Services Fund and the Federal Drug Administration, that require a 3 years retention period.

 HMO (Health Maintenance Organizations)- Minimum of 2 years.  Worker’s Compensation- 5 years  Physicians licensed as a medical clinic- 7 years

 Medical Records can be stored on:  Paper  Microfilm  Magnetic Tape  Optical Disc  Computer Systems

 Record retention schedules  Time period for retention  How the information is stored

 Discuss with your partner the following questions. 1- How long are physicians required to keep medical records ? 2- Name 3 different types of storage. 3- Name 3 policies for storage that are established by the facility.

 Used to store records at a location separate from the facility.  Points to consider if using off-site storage:  1- Cost for storage  2- Cost for delivery and retrieval  3- Is it safe and secure  4- Accessed by authorized personnel only  5- Receive records in timely fashion

 After legal retention periods, paper based records should be destroyed according to facility policies and procedures.  A certificate of record destruction should be on permanent file. It will document:  1- Date of destruction  2- Supervisor signature  3- List of records destroyed  4- That they were destroyed in normal course of business.

 Discuss with your partner the following questions:  1- Name 3 things to check when using off-site storage.  2- What information is included in a records destruction certificate ?

 Records must be destroyed so they cannot be re-created.  PAPER  1- Dissolving in acid  2- Burning  3- Crushing  4- Shredding

 ELECTRONIC  1- Altering magnetic files  2- Overwriting data  3- Microfilm- Chemical recycling process