Medical Record Research Paper
If you’re the kind of person who’s ever asked themselves “what does retention of records mean, and how do I find out more about rules and regulations regarding that?” or perhaps you seek to learn what the difference is between federal and state government retention laws? If either of these are true then take comfort, my friend, for you won’t need look any further than this very essay.
The retention of records laws are laws that clearly designate how long medical records are required to be held on to by a medical faciliy. Not only that, but the laws also said where such records are supposed to be kept. They may also provide some direction on how certain records ought to be destroyed once there retention has expired (it’s sometimes preferable …show more content…
If you were to ask Susan Shepard from The Doctor’s Company (who according to my sources listed below is a Registered Nurse) she would be happy to provide you with answers about some of California’s retention laws. She is very clear and concise in explaining that the California Medical Association strongly suggests that medical records should be safeguarded for at least a quarter of a century, if not forever.
Susan also provides a clear outline of some of the minimum retention guidelines that The Doctors Company promotes. For example, they recommend that the medical records of adults be kept for a decade from the last time the patient came in for an appointment. As for children or minors, records are to be maintained for up to three years past a quarter of a century ever since they were born. Lastly, they propose that records of any patients that have passed away are to be retained for about half a decade. Things like billing records, audio records (like phone messages), and appointment books can also have regulations in regards to how they ought to be maintained. Susan from the Doctors Company offers that, due to specifications and requirements of the IRS, billing records are supposed to be maintained for as long as seven years. While any documentation of appointments only have to be kept for about a year, phone calls on the other hand could be kept as long
The retention of records laws are laws that clearly designate how long medical records are required to be held on to by a medical faciliy. Not only that, but the laws also said where such records are supposed to be kept. They may also provide some direction on how certain records ought to be destroyed once there retention has expired (it’s sometimes preferable …show more content…
If you were to ask Susan Shepard from The Doctor’s Company (who according to my sources listed below is a Registered Nurse) she would be happy to provide you with answers about some of California’s retention laws. She is very clear and concise in explaining that the California Medical Association strongly suggests that medical records should be safeguarded for at least a quarter of a century, if not forever.
Susan also provides a clear outline of some of the minimum retention guidelines that The Doctors Company promotes. For example, they recommend that the medical records of adults be kept for a decade from the last time the patient came in for an appointment. As for children or minors, records are to be maintained for up to three years past a quarter of a century ever since they were born. Lastly, they propose that records of any patients that have passed away are to be retained for about half a decade. Things like billing records, audio records (like phone messages), and appointment books can also have regulations in regards to how they ought to be maintained. Susan from the Doctors Company offers that, due to specifications and requirements of the IRS, billing records are supposed to be maintained for as long as seven years. While any documentation of appointments only have to be kept for about a year, phone calls on the other hand could be kept as long