Disposal of protected health information is subject to HIPPA regulations. Records are to be kept secure for a specific time, and then, when it’s time for disposal, you must follow the rules for the proper disposal of medical records. Medical facilities may have several different rules for medical record disposal.
A Guide to Shredding Medical Documents
Medical record shredding and the destruction of medical records procedure is regulated by HIPPA and by state laws. North Carolina does not have a regulation as to how long medical records must be retained, but the state is subject to federal rules. Once documents are ready to be disposed of, facilities must follow HIPPA compliant shredding requirements. HIPPA also requires that medical records are retained for at least six years. Furthermore, Medicare and Medicaid require that medical facilities keep medical records for at least seven years. Because North Carolina does not have its own rule regarding the length of time, facilities in the state must abide by HIPPA rules.
How Do You Destroy Medical Records?
The destruction of medical records procedure includes cross cut shredding or another method of disposal that renders document unreadable and doesn’t allow the documents to be reconstructed. This may include pulverizing the records, disintegrating the records or cross cut shredding the records with a shredder that creates particles that are a mere 1cm by 5cm.
Another acceptable method of record disposal is burning the paper records. However, many medical records are stored on digital media. When a hard drive or USB drive needs to be destroyed, it needs to be shredded so that there is no chance the information on the digital media is recoverable. Other acceptable methods of destroying digital media include degaussing, disintegration, melting, pulverization or incinerating the digital media.
Does HIPPA Require Cross Cut Shredding?
HIPPA shredding requirements include cross cut shredding but doesn’t require it if alternate methods are used. Medical records may be forwarded to a third party shredder with the required shredding machine that creates shredded matter small enough so that it cannot be reconstructed.
Employees must be trained in the proper disposal of medical records so as to minimize the theft of information and potential identity theft, especially since hospitals often use social security numbers to identify patients. Any volunteers that work in medical facilities must also be trained in the proper storage of documents and the storage and disposal of disposal of protected health information that are ready to be destroyed.
Before destroying medical records, you should try to contact the person to offer him or her a copy of the records or to find out if the records need to be forwarded to a new doctor. If you cannot contact the person and the required time for retention has passed, then you should destroy the records using a reliable third party.
Other Record Disposal
Medical records also include prescription bottles with labels and separate labels for prescription bottles. The used prescription bottles need to be stored in opaque bags in an area that is secured. They must be forwarded to a third-party shredding company and properly destroyed so that unsavory characters do not have access to the information on the label.
If you have questions about disposing of medical records, whether paper records or digital media, contact our office to discuss your needs and to ensure you are in compliance with HIPPA rules and regulations for the retention and disposal of medical records.
Contact MedWaste Services
When you need a reliable and affordable company to dispose of medical records, contact MedWaste Services to discuss medical recording shredding. You may wish to set up a schedule for the pick-up of medical records and other medical waste from your facility.