Chapter 8 Storage of Business Records Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved.

Storage of Business Records O A variety of information generated in the dental office must be stored. O The administrative assistant is responsible for managing, maintaining, and storing both paper and electronic information.

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Business Record O A record is stored information on any media created or received by the office that is evidence of its operations or that has value requiring its retention for a period of time.

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Methods of Storage O Two common methods of storage include: O Computer or electronic O Manual filing

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Types of Business Records to Be Stored O Clinical records O Financial records O Radiographs O Diagnostic models O Correspondence O Employee records O OSHA records O Tax records O Insurance records O Accounts receivable and payable

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Basic Steps for Filing O Filing paper records should be done every 1 or 2 days. O Keep records to be filed in a basket marked To Be Filed. O File electronic records immediately. O Make backup copies of all electronic files as you complete them.

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Preparing Records for Filing O Inspecting O Decide whether the record should be disposed of or retained. O Indexing O May be grouped by subject or alphabetically O Electronic records are indexed by following a uniform procedure for naming the files.

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Preparing Records for Filing O Coding O Assign a code by highlighting, typing, or writing a caption on a paper record. O Give an electronic file a name. O Sorting O Arrange the records within a file. O Place papers within folders in file drawers. O Electronic files are sorted as you save the files in the correct directory.

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Preparing Records for Filing O Storing O Keep in file drawers or boxes. O Electronic media, such as microfilm, should also be kept in the correct place.

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Special Adjuncts to Filing O Cross-referencing O When a record normally stored in a specific location has been stored elsewhere, some form of cross-reference notation must be made to indicate the new location of the record.

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Special Adjuncts to Filing O Retrieval O When a record is removed from a file and used in a different location, a “charge out” folder must be used. The charge out folder has the name of the individual or department that removed the folder and the date it was removed. Note: This is not common in a private dental practice but may be used in a large clinic or dental school.

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Classification of Filing Systems O Alphabetic O Names are arranged from A to Z. O Geographic O Filing is done by a territorial division such as a state, city, or street. O Numeric O Numbers are assigned to each new patient or account.

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Classification of Filing Systems O Subject O Papers are arranged according to the topic on which they are written. O Chronologic O Filing by date O Tickler file O A look-forward file; reoccurring tasks such as recall and office maintenance are organized this way

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Storage of Electronic Files O Dental and word processing programs can be stored on the hard drive, disks, or tape. O Most dental offices using microcomputers will store data on the hard drive. O Hard drives must be backed up routinely on a floppy disk, compact disk, zip disk, or jump drive. O Pay special attention to storage of diskettes; avoid dust, magnetic fields, extreme temperatures, liquids, and vapors.

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Storage Equipment O Vertical file cabinet O Lowest cost for two or four drawers O Need pullout drawer space O End up opening and closing all day long O Can tip over if too many drawers are opened

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Storage Equipment O Lateral file cabinet O Higher cost O The longest side opens O Has a shelf O Requires less pull-out space

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Storage Equipment O Open shelf filing O Works well with end tabs on records

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Storage Equipment O Card file O Good for small cards, capital inventory, or recall O Rotary file O Good for quick reference

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Paper Storage Supplies O Filing supplies for paper storage may include O File guides O Divide file drawer into sections O File folders O For patient records O Folder labels O Color coded for the name or date of last visit O Cross-referencing O When records relate to more than one file topic

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Storage Supplies for Electronics O Storage units for disks or tapes O Small plastic or fabric units that hold one to five CDs or DVDs O Plastic or wooden desktop boxes O Rotary files O Ring binders with vinyl pages that have pockets

Copyright © 2011, 2006 Mosby, Inc., an affiliate of Elsevier. All rights reserved. Managing Workstation Records Effectively O Organization is the key regardless of method O Quick retrieval is important O Can use an offsite storage method like a zip- drive to restore records O These are portable.