In the cutthroat world of mergers and acquisitions, many aspects of an organization’s practice will change. As the wheels of employee, equipment and process merger completes, it could be the right time for senior decision makers to opt to move to outsourcing their record storage and retrieval. It is also a time to evaluate your obligations.

Merging Two Sets of Records Can Cost

Not just money, but time too. As the merger goes through, you want as smooth and as seamless a transition as possible, especially if a large group of people are relocating. You will need to make space for your records (on your server if digital, physical space if hard copies) and ensure that the systems are compatible. Compatibility can be an issue where businesses use custom software that were never designed to work together.

 

Working Out Obligations for the New Collection

Records retrieval, storage and management can be complex. That’s why organizations like Record Grabber exist in the first place, they take the hard work away from establishments. Your obligations of the new material may differ depending on the types of document. If they are record types you’ve never handled before, you and your employees are going to need to learn the new legal standards.

 

Stakeholders May Have Different Access Processes

No two organizations are the same. Interested parties (lawyers, healthcare professionals, administrators, insurance companies) may have had a set procedure to access records. How the two merging companies handled such requests may have vastly differed. You will need to come up with a new system that keeps access efficient and halts potential confusion. Not everybody is going to be happy about the new way of doing things.

 

The Logistics

Even with the smoothest transition in the world, there will be snags. Do you use electronic or manual access? Barcode scanners? What are your security and data protection protocols? Merging the files may be the easiest part of the merger; merging the two systems of access may be the most difficult.

 

Maybe Now is the Time To Outsource?

When you outsource your records, much of this hard work will be taken off your hands. Record Grabber has a standardized system that we have used for many years. Organizations outsource to us because they know our dedicated and efficient system has survived many client mergers. All the way through, we have continued to offer the same high quality service.

Record Grabber is an expert provider in record storage, protection and retrieval services. We have been doing this long enough to understand the kind of problems you will experience when you choose not to outsource these services to a third party business and opt to handle all storage and retrieval in-house.

 

Paperwork Out of Control

Due to laws on what can be stored and for how long, it’s necessary to keep a complete paper trail for patients and their treatments for many years. This means several things: firstly, you will need to make space in your building to store all of your records, and more and more of it the more patients you take on. You may also need to take on a dedicated employee to manage the records store.

 

Ever Increasing Budget

If you don’t have space for storage you will need to make space, including reducing office space or building an extension or mezzanine to hold it. Then you have to hire an employee with archiving experience or qualifications, or training somebody to take over the role. Paperwork is the largest cost to an organization and many only realize when it is too late.

 

Data Loss

Offices that are not properly equipped to handle large amounts of data lose between 2% and 7% of records every year. At any one time, between 3% and 5% of a company’s records are somewhere other than where they ought to be. Should these records never be found, it can cost in the region of $180 for a spare copy.

 

Time Wasted Searching

Storing and handling all of your data in-house comes with the problem of lost or misplaced data, usually due to human error. No training in the world can eliminate even the simplest mistakes. Do you really want to spend so much time looking for misplaced files? You would probably rather be doing your actual job. The average manager spends a total of four weeks per year looking for misplaced paperwork; the average employee spends two hours per day.

 

Redundant Use of Space

You have a legal obligation to keep records for a certain length of time; how long varies by state. But did you know that once filed, 90% of records are never retrieved or examined again? This means that you will be turning over a lot of space (in your warehouse or on your server) to storing records that will remain inactive and unused until they are inevitably destroyed several years later.

As you are a medical professional, we will assume you would rather spend more time working with patients than ensuring your compliance with data protection. Although there are many basic things you can do to ensure compliance, since the Federal Government decided to take a proactive role in ensuring that organizations comply, it’s not as simple as it once was. You may fall into some of the traps below without due care.

Not Keeping Ahead of the Curve

Standards and requirements are under constant review thanks to changing technology and a desire to keep up with compliance standards. If you do not subject your procedures to constant review in line with legislation, and do not keep your employees up to date with their obligations, you could be falling foul of HIPAA compliance.

 

Who Can Access The Data?

Standards slip when we do what is convenient, ignoring what is not legal. To cut corners and speed up the process, do you allow clinical staff access to patient records? If so, you could be breaking the law. Only those who need to know information about a patient should be permitted to interact with it. This excludes most clinical staff who are, in some cases, allowed access to confidential data by busy employees.

 

The Water Cooler

Similarly, there have been cases of employees discussing confidential information around ears who have no need or right to hear it. This can come in the form of office gossip or using an inappropriate space (such as an open plan office) to discuss sensitive information. This is a violation of that patient’s confidentiality and right to privacy on personal data. Such information should be strictly “need to know” and discussions should take place in appropriate places.

 

Failing To Appoint a Compliance Officer

Many do not understand that medical practices are considered “non-compliant” should they fail to appoint a person to oversee security and privacy. These two titles can come under the remit of a single person. This person’s role is to ensure compliance, development and maintenance of the systems. Typically, the person appointed to this role is a Business Manager or equivalent.

 

Poor Encryption

It is inconceivable to us that an organization that works with sensitive data may use inadequate or no encryption, but there have been recorded cases. This is a serious violation of HIPAA and goes against every recommendation on data protection and patient confidentiality. Good encryption ensures maximum protection against potential hacks.

How long Record Grabber, or any organization concerned with sharing, storing and protecting patient medical records may keep such files, is not as simple as one might think. There are legal requirements of a minimum amount of time, but there is no maximum amount of time for storage, and there are benefits and drawbacks for keeping them longer.

HIPAA does not specify how long organizations should keep records beyond the minimum, it does state that new and old records are treated with the same safeguarding provisions.

What is the Legal Requirement?

Record Grabber is legally bound to keep records under the following conditions pertaining to diagnosis, treatment and after-care:

• Seven years from the date of the record of last treatment if the patient is still alive
• Three years after the death of the patient
• For minors, when the patient reaches the age of 21, or after seven years, depending on which occurs first
• Hospitals are obliged to keep records for 25 years following treatment but as we are a Record Service, we are not bound by this

Seven years is a good rule of thumb and many providers will destroy records when that legally required time is up. There are some exceptions though. ECGs and EEGs may be discarded prior to the seven years stated above if there is no change between the most recent and the previous record. PKUs and lab reports must be kept for no less than five years; x-rays and other images may be discarded after just three years.

 

Advantages to Keeping Records Longer Than Minimum

Keeping records for more than the obligatory seven years can help maintain record integrity and the “full picture” of a person’s diagnosis, treatment, insurance or legal proceedings. Sometimes, conditions and treatments are related and having all information available can help a legal case or course of treatment run smoother.

 

Disadvantages to Keeping Records Longer Than Minimum

The first issue is one of security. The longer a record is kept – digital or paper – the longer there is a security risk to those records. The second issue is one of space. Paper records take up a lot of space and will require larger warehouses over time. For digital records, back-ups can take longer and will take up much more space on the network drive; this is also for records that are highly unlikely to be required after so long.

 

There are many reasons for why healthcare organizations might refuse to outsource their record keeping and storage. One of the most pervasive is to get more people or organizations involved to increase workload in an already complex and busy work environment. This is not true. If anything, Record Grabber will save labor costs and reduce workload. Streamlining your medical record retrieval process is simple.

 

You Have Fewer HIPAA Worries

One of your biggest constraints is ensuring that your employees keep up to date on their data protection responsibilities. You spend less time on training, updates and internal memos to ensure that employees realize what they can and cannot do. When the number of people able to access data within your organization is streamlined, you have fewer worries and therefore expend fewer resources.

 

Less Non-Profitable Administration

There are many, broad administrative costs when you handle your record keeping and storage in house. Some of which you may not have even considered: storage space, employees to work in the archives, the lengthy process of destroying old records, management and filing. This takes your employees away from other tasks that make your business money.

 

Utilize your employees time properly

When you don’t outsource, you will often find the workload increases exponentially. This can put stress and strain on your employees which reduces their job satisfaction. It’s not just about the amount of work that each employee must do. The wage bill is often the biggest expense for any business. You need to consider whether your business has taken on more work than it can realistically handle. If not, then outsourcing with Record Grabber can ease this burden.

 

Reduces Server Workload

Your IT employees need to keep up with legislation on HIPAA, security protocols and implementation. They will also need to keep increasing network space and monitor issues with mobile devices. As records increase, this will increase their workload too. By outsourcing, you can reduce this burden for your front line IT support employees.

 

Streamlining is About Workload, Not Cost

Businesses all over the world have become conscious since the last economic downturn. Their need to better utilize their workforce has increased. Discarding unnecessary work is as important as keeping the salary bill down. While the work of record storage and retrieval is vital, it is not necessary for businesses such as yours to do it all in house. There are significant cost and resource savings that can be made easily and quickly.

 

Productivity awaits. Streamline your medical record retrieval process!- Record Grabber

 

 

Clients turn to Record Grabber for many reasons. While concern over falling foul of HIPAA is one, others feel that the risks of data breach vastly outweigh the benefits of in-house record storage.

 

Unlocked Electronic Equipment

Arguably, the most common form of data breach anywhere is leaving electronic equipment open and unlocked. When this happens, anybody can access the data. Instead of following protocol and locking their screens (pressing CTRL ALT DEL and then LOCK SCREEN), some employees simply leave the screen open when leaving for no more than a few minutes.

 

Poor Password Choices

Every one of us needs passwords for everything and it can be a chore in itself to remember all of them. Contrary to most advice, employees choose passwords that are not just easy to remember, but easy for others to guess. Other problems include giving passwords to others. Once another person has a password, they have instant access to information and a data breach occurs.

 

Downloaded Malware

This problem is still common although its nature may have changed in recent years. Those who seek to steal your information have adapted to a user base with greater awareness. Whereas it used to be .exe files almost exclusively, today they are embedding malicious macros in .doc, .xls and .ppt. They also compile official sounding emails requesting information and referring to files for an upcoming meeting.

 

Stolen / Misplaced Equipment

It is every employee’s nightmare: leaving a laptop, tablet or smartphone on public transport or in a coffee shop. With the rise of digital working and cheaply available technology, the risk of technology containing sensitive information lost, misplaced or stolen has increased exponentially. This leads to poor publicity when found and loss of critical data that could get into the wrong hands.

 

Changed Permissions

One surprising cause of data breach is employees who no longer require access to the data still having access. Employees who move departments or leave the organization no longer need access. However, it can sometimes take a long time to remove their permissions, rights and account. During this time, they are still able to access that data – or anybody else with access to their files.

The Solution: Outsourcing with Record Grabber

No matter how tight your processes and aware your employees are, problems are likely. Only by outsourcing to a premier service provider such as Record Grabber can you minimize these issues. Reduce HIPAA violations and lost sensitive information.

Find out more about Record Grabber Here.

2016 was a year of changes for HIPAA. We saw massive government involvement and a crackdown on violations. It has been nearly a decade of development, tough action and scrutiny. What can the medical profession and legal organizations expect in 2017 from the new administration regarding HIPAA? This information is crucial, especially if you are retrieving medical records for your case.

 

2016 Was Showmanship

Many analysts suggest that 2017 will not be as intense as 2016 in terms of investigation and crackdown on violations. The outgoing administration was clear on data protection and personal privacy. The new president and his administration have not yet clearly defined its intentions with regard to healthcare data protection. However, the positive work of the last government is expected to continue. President Trump’s pick for HHS is Tom Price – a member of the House of Representatives and a physician who supports the development of data and information technology. Price’s stance on HIPAA privacy protections is not yet clear.

 

2017 May Bring a New Director – Or Not

Jocelyn Samuels stepped down as director of OCR at HHS before the inauguration of President Trump. HHS is now in a transitional period with Robinsue Frohboese in an acting role. Few expect that this position will be filled quickly. This also suggests a HIPAA compliance program that is not as intense as it was in 2016. Until a new permanent director is found, full compliance is expected and organizations in all areas subject to HIPAA should not allow standards to become lax.

 

Will HIPAA Audits Become Permanent?

Despite the change of administration, the government departments responsible for healthcare and data compliance expect to push ahead with the policies in place over the last decade. There is a keenness to show that the government is being proactive in protecting healthcare data. There is an equal desire to continue using audits as a measurable way of determining compliance. Although the examination is likely to be less broad in scope in 2017, we do expect the HIPAA audits to become permanent – if not this year then certainly in 2018. This may cause delays in the medical record retrieval process.

 

Record Grabber for a Smooth and Seamless Transition

Now may be the right time to outsource your record keeping and storage before any new directorship is appointed and before any new HIPAA changes are implemented. The change of a new administration does not mean that non-political issues such as data protection and healthcare fall by the wayside.

If you’re considering your options for outsourcing your record storage and medical record retrieval, there is no better time than now. We keep up with all the ongoing legal changes and can ensure a smooth transition for clients.

Record Grabber for your medical record retrieval

One of the drawbacks with medical record retrieval and  technology is that it becomes obsolete too quickly. Ten years is a long time in technology terms. This is why so many organizations within the medical and storage industry choose to use only paper. Is the belief that technology goes out of date fast preventing you from outsourcing your medical records storage?

Five Ways Outsourcing with Record Grabber is a Future Proof process for Medical Record Retrieval

No Need for Technological Upgrades

The cost associated with the overhaul of your in-house system can be immense. It is also disruptive, potentially for days. It is not just the financial cost of ensuring that your technological framework is sufficient, it is also logistically expensive. With Record Grabber, you do not need to worry about this disruption or the expense. We consistently invest in the most up to date technologies to deliver you an efficient medical record retrieval.

 

Record Grabber Adapts to HIPAA

Whether you keep paper or electronic records, HIPAA is a potential minefield. With constant change and new standards always in development, you need the infrastructure and human resources to keep up. Your comprehensively designed system, as thorough and as secure as it is, may become obsolete in a matter of days. Logistically, this can put a lot of strain on your resources and your medical record retrieval process. Record Grabber can handle the hard work.

 

Cloud and Mobile Proof

Cloud technology and mobile internet are here, now. In a fast-paced ever-changing world of legal medical record keeping. They are the future. Paper records are all but obsolete; old style electronic servers are giving way to the technologies of tomorrow. Cloud and mobile technology are future proof and with platforms designed with flexibility in mind. Now is the best time to move to outsourcing for your medical record retrieval.

 

Security is Future Proof

Methods of file encryption and other security protection methods that concern the mechanics of storage will also become obsolete as old threats become extinct and new threats emerge. Our ongoing system of protection, which is both HIPAA compliant and anticipates future changes, is the best system of protecting your records now and for whatever technologies will emerge tomorrow.

 

Keeps Up With Medical Requirements

We define “future proof” as something that is sufficient for the needs now but will not become obsolete with anticipated fundamental shifts in technology for tomorrow. The modern medical profession, no matter where they work, needs a system that works for them to help them deliver the medical excellence for which they strive. “Keeping up and staying ahead” is what we all need as we go through some big changes.

 

Record Grabber Website