Document Management
Medical Records Custodian Services
Preparing to retire or close your medical practice?
Whether you're a retiring physician, or the executor of the estate of a physician who has passed away, Shoreline will help you by taking complete responsibility of maintaining Medical Records for the length of time required by law, which could be decades. Our Medical Records Custodian Services cover all aspects of medical records management. Shoreline responds to all calls from patients, guardians, lawyers, insurance companies and doctors; securely maintains and delivers Patient Charts; and even destroys Medical Charts in accordance with HIPAA and other regulations. We have 22 years of experience providing Medical Records Scanning and Document Storage Services and can customize our service offering to address virtually any need.
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What is a custodian of records?
A custodian of records bares the responsibility of safeguarding records for the duration they are required to be protected, according to law. This may apply to paper files or Electronic Health Records (EHR). Different types of files vary in the length of time they must be preserved to meet legal requirements imposed by the federal or state governments.
In the case of medical records, aside from maintaining the integrity of the files, a records custodian must protect the privacy of the individual according to HIPAA standards (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). HIPAA applies federal standards of privacy for the patient, ensuring no medical information is given out without the patient’s consent.
Additionally, paper, or digital records must be protected for periods of time indicated by law to ensure patient access if said patient has not already requested copies prior to the closing of the practice. The custodian will handle requests from the patient, physicians, family, or court as indicated by the patient’s consent.
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Why Choose Shoreline As Your Custodian of Records
We will store your Medical Records, securely release the information in an electronic format to the patient or an approved representative, and securely destroy the physical and electronic files in accordance with applicable guidelines. Give us your files and go enjoy your life.
After a physician or medical facility closes its doors, patient medical records must continue to be available for retrieval for many different reasons. Although patients are normally informed prior to the office closure should they wish to retrieve their records at that time, often the notification goes unnoticed by patients, or they do not act if the need for access is not imminent.
Copies of the medical history may be granted in hard copies or transmitted digitally. When provided digitally, the requesting party can usually download the files securely through an encrypted online repository.
Shoreline guarantees database security both while retaining records and at the time of destruction, per HIPAA protocols. We understand the responsibility of delivering medical records services safely, efficiently, and timely to all authorized parties and will ensure you can rest at ease in your retirement.
For more information on how to request a medical record, please check our Records Request page.
Easy, quick patient notification
Assistance with packing & transportation
Transfer assistance with existing electronic systems
Reliable future request processing either by secure electronic transfer or US Mail
Our Process
Four Steps to Peace of Mind
Step 1 - Notify
Shoreline starts with the most important part of closing a medical practice - notifying patients. We help develop messaging to announce the closing of the practice so you can properly and timely inform patients, the applicable State Medical Board(s) and other key entities. This announcement will address how patients can obtain copies of their charts from Shoreline.
Step 2 - Collect
Shoreline provides or assists with all the services for preparing Patient Charts for storage. This includes packing paper charts and transporting them to our storage facility, as well as working with the appropriate IT professionals to export any Patient Charts that are currently stored in electronic format.
Step 3 - Store
Safe storage requires that the confidentiality of Patient Charts be protected. Shoreline ensures records are securely and properly maintained for the necessary length of time. For over 20 years, Shoreline has maintained the confidentiality and protected the most sensitive health, financial and other records for companies both large and small.
Step 4 - Release
Requests for Patient Charts from Shoreline are released upon request from patients or an authorized representative. Following HIPAA release and payment, the records are sent electronically to the requestor through a secure portal that is password protected.
We'd Love To Help
We know closing a medical practice requires critical decisions to be made and many steps to be taken months in advance. When it comes to Medical Records, Shoreline will provide you with all the support you need. You may not be familiar with all the required actions that need to be taken or regulatory guidelines, but that's OK. Shoreline handles it all for you - from step 1 of informing patients to years down the road, we'll be here.
FAQ
Many state health departments and licensing authorities govern healthcare facility closure regulations or guidelines, and commonly recommend records be transferred. Check out our sample list of state guidelines. These laws vary state to state and may change regularly, but Shoreline will always refer to the most current mandates provided by local government.
To ensure continuity of patient care, avoid any allegation of abandonment, and fulfill contractual and regulatory obligations, a physician should provide notice in a timely manner. Our checklist will help you plan the next steps.
Our extensive history allows us to offer all the Medical Records Custodian Services you need with one trusted partner. Our customers choose us because we offer the reliability, confidentiality and security physicians require. As transparency and compliance continue to be of the utmost importance, Shoreline ensures that the latest regulations are followed and record retention requirements are ALWAYS met. Our compliance programs are best-in-class and we continually train our personnel and test our systems to ensure the highest level of confidentiality and security.
Ready To Transform Your Document Experience?
Whether you'd like to get more office space by outsourcing your documents or decide that you'd like to automate your current document workflow, Shoreline is here to help!
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