![]() The unit was hot in the summer, cold in the winter, dirty, and disorganized. ![]() With minimal security, the facility also did not provide especially clean or weather-safe conditions. Keep in mind that mini-storage facilities are not the ideal environment for storing paper documents. We found that the pediatric medical office had been keeping their confidential medical files in a self-storage unit for many, many years. Our colleague recommended us because of our decades of experience helping clients with HIPAA retention of medical records and our reputation for creative problem solving for our clients. The call was concerning the referral of a potential client-a pediatric medical practice in Arlington, right in the center of the DFW Metroplex. Recently, Armstrong Archives received a call from a business associate in another large city. ![]() But months can stretch into years and soon the quick fix for HIPAA record retention turns into a costly problem when decreased staff productivity, damaged/misplaced files, and aggravation are factored into the equation. Initially, a stop-gap solution like a self-storage unit is meant to be a temporary, cost-saving measure while a decision for the long term is made. Some then turn to their own garages, attics, or a mini-storage unit for the storage of their pediatric medical files. However, due to the high cost of office space and the sheer bulk of a single doctor’s medical records, this quickly becomes unmanageable. To ensure the security of patients’ PHI and maintain HIPAA Privacy Rule compliance, many physicians try to store their patients’ paper files onsite in a spare office or closet. When it comes to determining how to securely store large volumes of pediatric medical records, some medical practices choose a band-aid type fix for a problem that is best solved with a more comprehensive solution. Even though most pediatricians now use encrypted electronic medical records, many still maintain older patient files in paper form.
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