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Ambiguity surrounding records storage exists because many vendors don’t acknowledge that an active retention and destruction plan is a critical component of a healthcare facility’s comprehensive records management strategy.  By proactively planning for records storage and destruction, healthcare facilities reap the long-term benefits of cost savings and reduced liability.  Before storing records, healthcare facilities should:

1. Take advantage of front-end verification
   Front-end verification takes place when a healthcare facility or storage vendor creates a comprehensive records inventory by logging each chart into a computer database that can be linked to the facility’s master patient database.  Front-end verification improves the speed at which requested files are retrieved, and consequently, will reduce retrieval costs.
2. Plan for records retention and destruction
• Review records retention policies
  Records retention policies often vary by state and healthcare facility.
• Box records according to the retention policy
  Following the front-end verification, records should be sorted according to the facility’s retention policy at the time of boxing.  If a front-end verification does not take place and records are boxed at random, then the hospital can run into unnecessary cost and liability issues associated with storing, retrieving, and destroying records.
• Plan to destroy entire boxes instead of individual files
  Most storage vendors charge by box and destroy by box.  If a hospital hasn’t sorted their records prior to boxing them, then likely they cannot destroy an entire box without paying the vendor to go through it and remove records that must be retained.  As a result, sometimes boxes end up half full, and hospitals must pay to consolidate the boxes or store all the partially filled boxes.
• Watch out for the double whammy in the fine print
  Check your contract before planning to destroy records past retention.  Other charges stem from retrieval fees, removal fees, and destruction fees, which in some cases are more than the cost of storage.
3. Reap the benefits
• Cost savings
• Bottom-line: Records storage isn’t free; reduce the quantity of paper records to diminish storage costs.
• Front-end verification allows storage vendors to review the records inventory and reduce the time required for retrieval; consequently, reducing costs for the healthcare facility.
• Reduce liability
• The healthcare facility’s health information management department is responsible for producing discoverable records. Following a front-end verification, destroy records past retention to reduce liable records requests.
• By reviewing the records inventory, both the vendor and the healthcare facility can feel secure knowing exactly what each box contains before it is destroyed.

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