Serving patients and their health is the pinnacle of medical practice. It also includes mounds of paperwork that have to be kept safe and secure per federal regulations. Many medical practices are moving to electronic records management. Keeping your patient’s private information private should be second only to their medical care for those who haven’t made the switch yet. Working with an information record management company places you above the rest in terms of following HIPAA. 

6 Steps to Successful Medical Records Management 

It’s possible to take control of all the records in your practice and make them secure. Here are six steps to get you started:

1. Establish Procedures: Your staff may not know the best management processes. Start by clearly defining your policies and procedures for establishing and maintaining security. Per HIPAA, these policies must be written and retained for six years. 
2. Develop Staff Training: Untrained employees can easily mismanage sensitive health records. Stop this from happening by developing a comprehensive training program or call in a records management company to train your team.
3. Label Records Effectively: Without proper labeling, a file can easily be misplaced, causing confusion and delay later. Look into utilizing a comprehensive taxonomy and indexing system to cover all your records.
4. Automate Where You Can: Research which systems can be automated, thereby reducing human error. For example, consider using a centralized medical records management program.
5. Increase Data Security: Patient records must always be secure, whether in electronic or paper form. Storing records offsite is an option that eases some tension on what to do with the thousands of documents you will accumulate over the years. Be sure to hire a certified company with a climate-controlled facility, as well as industry certifications, to destroy records when it is time.
6. Conduct Self-Audits: Your success depends on creating and using your system consistently. To ensure your team is following through on your records management system, schedule periodic self-audits. 

Protect Your Patient’s Medical Information with Help from Crown Information Management

Ensure your patients can depend on you to keep their interests in mind when you establish comprehensive medical records systems with help from Crown Information Management. Our team can answer your questions to aid you in creating an effective method. We offer many services, including records storage, retention and indexing, classifying records, and destruction services, like onsite shredding and x-ray destruction. 

We understand the HIPAA regulations and work with you to ensure your records management system aligns with the law. Reach out to us today to obtain support and an effective plan to support your medical office.

For secure, pest-free storage and easy and timely destruction of medical records and record management, count on a SOC1 Level 2 Report,NAID AAA, and PCI Certified company. Call Crown Information Management at 800-979-9545 or contact us online to learn more about our records management and destruction services.