Immunization records: Immunization records must be kept forever.Deceased patients: Records should be kept for six years after the date of the patient’s death, subject to the above exceptions.Records required by contractual obligation or federal law to be maintained for a longer period of time must be preserved, including mammography films and OSHA blood-borne pathogen employee records.This refers mainly to records transferred as part of selling or closing a practice. Records that have previously been transferred to another physician or healthcare provider or provided to the patient or his or her personal representative do not need to be kept.Minors’ records, including immunizations, must be maintained until the child reaches the age of 18 or becomes emancipated, with a minimum time for record retention of six years from the last patient encounter regardless of the age of the child.
#Pediatric medical records retention plus#
Here’s what medical practices need to know to ensure they’re in compliance with the new law, plus additional guidance for mitigating potential risk around medical record retention: Exceptions to the LawĪccording to the new law, physicians must keep records for a minimum of six years from the last patient encounter but not more than 12 years from date the record was created, with the following exceptions:
However, the team also recognizes this isn’t always practical, especially for practices that maintain paper records. The 12-year limit for record retention marks a shift from previous parameters provided by the state.Ĭuri’s Risk Management team recommends that medical records from all sources be kept in their original form forever. The law ( HB 1524) also indicates that providers are not required to maintain health records for longer than 12 years from the date of creation, with a few exceptions. If there is some sort of legally inquiry, and a record has been destroyed, your practice will want to show that the record was destroyed in the normal course of business following your practice's medical records policy and NOT as a result of receiving notice of a lawsuit.A new Virginia law, effective July 1, requires health care practitioners licensed by the Board of Medicine to maintain health records for a minimum of six years following the last encounter with the patient. And sometimes pragmatism: here in Texas, the retention period for vaccines is long than that for the rest of the pediatric patient record- it is just too labor intensive to go through old charts and pull vaccine records, so we end up storing everything longer.Īs you are no doubt aware, it is important that your practice follows the documented policy you develop for retention and destruction. The final decision will usually be a combination of state and medical board guidelines, legal recommendations, and the risk tolerance of the physicians. If there is some sort of legal inquiry, and a record has been destroyed, your practice will want to show that the record was destroyed in the normal course of business following your practice's medical records policy and NOT as a result of receiving notice of a lawsuit.Īustin, Message Original Message- Just to add an additional consideration to what others have said about state laws, etc.: it is helpful to check with your malpractice carrier. And sometimes pragmatism: here in Texas, the retention period for vaccines is longer than that for the rest of the pediatric patient record- it is just too labor intensive to go through old charts and pull vaccine records, so we end up storing everything longer.Īs you are no doubt aware, it is important that your practice follows the documented policy you develop for retention and destruction.
Then it is important to review the retention and destruction recommendations with the physician-owners of the practice. Just to add an additional consideration to what others have said about state laws, etc.: it is helpful to check with your malpractice carrier.īecause pediatrics has a long look-back period for any perceived malpractice issues, the malpractice carrier can give you advice on what is preferred from their standpoint.
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