Medical Record Retention Rules Are Changing — Is Your Organization Prepared?

Improper destruction of medical records can expose healthcare organizations to significant regulatory penalties and legal risk. Both paper and electronic records must be handled in accordance with federal and state privacy requirements, including rules under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

Recent regulatory developments and evolving legal interpretations are prompting many healthcare organizations to re-evaluate how long they retain records and how they securely destroy them once retention periods expire. In many cases, providers are extending retention timelines and strengthening policies to reduce compliance risk.

Without clear procedures in place, healthcare organizations may face problems such as:

• Destroying records too early
• Retaining records longer than necessary
• Improper disposal of paper or electronic records
• Failing to account for state-specific retention requirements

During this session, they will break down medical record retention and destruction requirements in clear, practical terms and explain how healthcare organizations can update their policies to remain compliant and reduce legal risk.

Learning Objectives:

In this focused 60-minute session, you’ll gain practical guidance to help your organization manage medical record retention and destruction with confidence. Topics covered include:

• A plain-English explanation of recent developments affecting the False Claims Act statute of
  limitations
• Strategies to reduce patient complaints related to record access and retention
• How to avoid compliance mistakes when mailing laboratory results and other protected health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
• Steps for updating your medical record retention and destruction policies
• Best practices for securely storing both electronic and paper records
• How to respond to accidental record loss caused by system failures or natural events
• Policies that ensure records are destroyed securely and at the appropriate time
• A checklist to identify commonly overlooked PHI, such as no-show patient records or attorney requests
• Key differences between state and federal record retention requirements
• How to manage difficult-to-retain or destroy data sources, such as images or text messages
• What HIPAA requires organizations to retain, and when records may be destroyed
• Documentation practices that demonstrate compliance and reduce audit risk

This training is designed for anyone involved in medical record management, compliance, or administrative decision-making.

In just one hour, you’ll gain practical insights to help your organization strengthen policies and better manage patient information.

Remember: the longer records are retained without clear policies, the more difficult they are to secure and manage. Even a single complaint about record handling can trigger regulatory scrutiny.

Join this training to ensure your organization’s record retention and destruction practices are clear,
compliant, and defensible