If you’re getting ready to close your Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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.
Pennsylvania Medical Records Retention Laws
Pennsylvania Laws for Minors’ Medical Record Retention
Providers:
The medical record for a minor patient shall be retained until 1 year after the minor patient reaches majority, even if this means that the physician retains the record for a period of more than 7 years.
Hospitals:
If the patient is a minor, records shall be kept on file until his majority, and then for 7 years or as long as the records of adult patients are maintained.
Pennsylvania Laws for Adults’ Medical Record Retention
Providers:
A patient’s medical record shall be retained by a physician for at least 7 years from the date of the last medical service for which a medical record entry is required.
Hospitals:
Medical records, whether original, reproductions or microfilm, shall be kept on file for a minimum of 7 years following the discharge of a patient.
Pennsylvania Medical Facility Closure Guidelines
If a hospital discontinues operation, it shall make known to the Department where its records are stored. Records are to be stored in a facility offering retrieval services for at least 5 years after the closure date. Prior to destruction, public notice shall be made to permit former patients or their representatives to claim their own records. Public notice shall be in at least two forms, legal notice and display advertisement in a newspaper of general circulation.
Read more on the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine Website
Pennsylvania Medical Record Retention Statutes
If you would like to read the laws in Pennsylvania pertaining to medical record retention yourself, visit these links:
Preparing Medical Records for Custodianship in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania, medical records must be retained for a minimum of 5 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 Pennsylvania 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.
