WesTex Document, Inc.
Our Business, Is Keeping Your Business - Your Business!
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Our Business, Is Keeping Your Business - Your Business! |
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Health information management professionals traditionally perform data and information warehousing functions. Each healthcare provider should ensure that health information is available to meet the needs of continued patient care, legal requirements, research, education, and other legitimate uses. Development of a retention schedule for patient health information that meets the needs of its patients, physicians, researchers, and other legitimate users, and complies with legal, regulatory, and accreditation requirements is a must. The schedule should include guidelines that specify what information should be kept, the time period for which it should be kept, and the storage medium. Compliance programs should establish written policies to address the retention of all types of documentation. This includes clinical and medical records, health records, claims documentation, and compliance documentation. The majority of states have specific retention requirements that should be used to establish a facility's retention policy. If the patient was a minor, the provider should retain health information until the patient reaches the age of majority (as defined by state law). Unless a longer period is required by state of federal law, the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) recommends that specific health information be retained for established minimum time periods: Diagnostic Images - 5 years Disease index - 10 years Fetal heart monitor records - 10 years after the infant reaches majority Master patient/person index - permanently Operative index - 10 years Patient Health/Medical Records - (adults) 10 years after most recent encounter Physician Index - 10 years Register of births/deaths - permanently Register of surgical procedures - permanently |
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