What’s Required and What Information Needs to Be Included

Logging your medical records destruction is important to ensure you’re staying up-to-date with destruction and retention of your patient’s medical records. Keeping track of the records that you have destroyed is also a key way to remain compliant with HIPAA rules and other state and federal mandates.

What Needs to Be Included in the Log?

When you partner with a shredding and destruction provider, you should receive a certificate of destruction for each shred. This can help you keep track of all of your records destruction and should be kept on file. In addition, your medical records destruction log should include the following information:

• Names of patient
• Date and time of destruction
• Description of content
• Media type
• General information about the patient
• Dates covered in records
• Names and signatures of witnesses

How Medical Records Destruction Logs Protect Patients

Just as other businesses protect their customers’ personal information from breaches, destroying inactive or retired patient records helps you protect them and their PHI (Protected Health Information). This is important because not only do HIPAA laws require medical facilities to adhere to privacy guidelines, they also have very strict mandates to ensure you are protecting your patient’s personal information from theft and non-compliance can result in hefty fines.

PHI includes:

• Social Security number
• Name
• Date of Birth
• Address
• Patient illnesses/conditions
• Treatments, medication
• Patient insurance information
• Patient payment information

Keeping a medical records destruction log is an important step in staying compliant with privacy regulations as they relate to retention and destruction. It’s also a top way to have all your destruction information in one place—keeping a digital log can be even easier, more convenient and more secure. Be sure you are following regulations when it comes to retention and destruction by shredding any medical records that are outdated and retired. Different states have different rules as far as how many years records should be retained, so check with your local agencies if you are unsure.

All Points Mobile Shredding can help you protect your patient’s PHI by providing you with regular shredding and destruction. We’re a family-owned and operated company located in Stuart, Florida and serving South Florida from Broward County all the way to Okeechobee County. Give us a call today or fill out this form to get more information.