Information for Arizona Doctors and Hospitals
If you’re getting ready to close your Arizona medical practice, it’s important to have a clear understanding of medical record retention laws and that you find a professional medical records custodian that you can trust to fulfill records requests after you retire or move on to a different job. Looking for a trusted medical records custodian in Arizona can be a challenging task. You need to ensure top quality, accuracy, and trusted service.
Desert River Solutions is a leading medical records custodian that provides electronic medical records extraction and document scanning services for medical and dental practices, hospitals, and related businesses. Our medical record management process and medical record storage facilities are HIPAA compliant. We are medical record management experts who convert paper records to electronic forms and assist with electronic health record (EHR) extraction at large volumes. turnaround.
Not sure how to handle Arizona medical record retention legal requirements after closing your practice? Read on for more information about laws and hiring a custodian of medical records or contact us to learn more today.
Arizona Medical Records Retention Laws
Arizona Laws for Minors’ Medical Record Retention
Providers & Hospitals:
If the patient is a child, either for at least three years after the child’s eighteenth birthday or for at least six years after the last date the child received medical or health care services from that provider, whichever date occurs later.
Arizona Laws for Adults’ Medical Record Retention
Providers & Hospitals:
Unless otherwise required by statute or by federal law, a health care provider shall retain the original or copies of a patient’s medical records for at least six years after the last date the adult patient received medical or health care services from that provider.
Arizona Medical Facility Closure Guidelines
The Arizona Revised Statutes have been updated to include the revised sections from the 55th Legislature, 1st Regular Session. Please note that the next update of this compilation will not take place until after the conclusion of the 55th Legislature, 2nd Regular Session, which convenes in January 2022.
Disclaimer:
This online version of the Arizona Revised Statutes is primarily maintained for legislative drafting purposes and reflects the version of law that is effective on January 1st of the year following the most recent legislative session. The official version of the Arizona Revised Statutes is published by Thomson Reuters.
A. Unless otherwise required by statute or by federal law, a health care provider shall retain the original or copies of a patient’s medical records as follows:
1. If the patient is an adult, for at least six years after the last date the adult patient received medical or health care services from that provider.
2. If the patient is a child, either for at least three years after the child’s eighteenth birthday or for at least six years after the last date the child received medical or health care services from that provider, whichever date occurs later.
3. Source data may be maintained separately from the medical record and must be retained for six years from the date of collection of the source data.
B. When a health care provider retires or sells the provider’s practice the provider shall take reasonable measures to ensure that the provider’s records are retained pursuant to this section.
C. A person who is licensed pursuant to title 32 as an employee of a health care provider is not responsible for storing or retaining medical records but shall compile and record the records in the customary manner.
D. A nursing care institution as defined in section 36-401 shall retain patient records for six years after the date of the patient’s discharge. For a minor, the nursing care institution shall retain the records for three years after the patient reaches eighteen years of age or for six years after the date of the patient’s discharge, whichever date occurs last.
For more information, visit the Arizona State Legislature Website.
Arizona Medical Record Retention Statutes
If you would like to read the laws in Arizona pertaining to medical record retention yourself, visit this link:
Preparing Medical Records for Custodianship in Arizona
Our medical record custodianship experts provide customized quotes based on your specific needs and the number of patient records or charts you have.
We take patient privacy seriously. Our medical record storage and document scanning solutions are all HIPAA-compliant and we use servers specially encrypted for medical record storage. HIPAA was designed to ensure the confidential handling of health records. All medical records scanning must be done in a manner that is compliant with HIPAA and its privacy regulations.
Because your patient’s records are filled with personal health information (PHI), they must remain private and secure at all times. This is not just a moral obligation to your patients, it’s a legal obligation, and it’s important that you partner with a trusted medical records custodian who can ensure the security of your patients’ record throughout the entire custodianship process.
Medical Record Custodian Process:
- All physical patient files are securely shipped to our facility in Phoenix, Arizona.
- We scan your medical records and digitize if needed, and extract patient files from your EMR to house them ourselves.
- We create a custom records request landing page on our website for your patients.
- You give notice to your patients that we will be the custodian of your medical records, using a template we provide.
- You give notice to the Arizona state medical board that Desert River Solutions is now your custodian of records.
- All health information requests go through us as your medical record custodian and you no longer have to do anything!
- Patients will be able to sign a request form, send it back securely, and receive any requested medical records in a prompt manner.
Learn More About Desert River Solutions Medical Records Custodian Services for Arizona Medical Practices
When a healthcare facility or doctor’s office closes, hiring a custodian of medical records company to manage patient records makes it easier for doctors and staff to go on to their next adventure. In Arizona, medical records must be retained for a minimum of 6 years. Desert River Solutions makes it easy for you to ensure your patients have access to their medical records for the legally required amount of time.
Contact us today to get a no-obligation quote on medical record custodian services for your Arizona medical practice.
Legal Disclaimer: the information contained in this site is provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter.
