Data archiving is an old problem for medical practitioners that requires newer solutions. Rooms of paper records have been replaced with computer equipment and servers. Tech-savvy consumers have little need for filing cabinets, instead entrusting their patient data and archives to third parties for long-term storage solutions. Most small and midsized medical practices, however, fall somewhere in the middle, combining cloud storage with on-site, off-site or backup storage.
Requirements for Medical Record Retention
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) requires managed care providers to keep medical records for 10 years. HIPAA does not have a retention requirement, but does require data handlers to keep records private for the length of time that they are retained.
Additionally, each state has its own regulations that mandate how long medical records must be kept beyond the last date of service. While most states do not require managed care providers to keep records beyond 10 years, there are some outliers.
Massachusetts requires providers to maintain data for 30 years after the patient's final treatment or discharge. Oregon takes it a step further, requiring providers to store medical records permanently within a master patient index. Providers in Alabama, on the other hand, must maintain records for as long as it takes to treat the patient.
If all this sounds tricky, that's because it is.
Why On-Site Storage Is Not Feasible
While on-site storage gives a gynecology practice the most control over its records, that control comes with disadvantages. Data could be destroyed by a natural disaster, fire, computer virus or simple employee error. A new small business might be able to handle its own data for a while, but as the practice grows, so does the amount of data it needs to access and archive.
An ultrasound system is primarily designed for temporary storage. Keeping scans in this one place could put a practice at risk, because if an ultrasound is in use or down for servicing, any records it contains are inaccessible for that time. These systems may also need equipment replaced, or they could be replaced entirely by new technology, which would jeopardize ultrasound images stored on the hard drive.
Instead, a practice must have a long-term storage solution for images to ensure thorough record-keeping and compliant medical records. This also makes it much easier to recover medical files should something interfere with the business.
Why a Mix of Technologies Is a Better Option
Newer technologies that store images and data in the cloud make medical records accessible from anywhere. Data is transferred securely and stored in compliance with federal regulations. Cloud technology also makes it easier to share records with colleagues and patients. As an added bonus, cloud-based image management systems such as Tricefy™ can be installed on virtually every ultrasound system on the market today.
A busy practice may also need a system that moves images to a different workstation, freeing up the ultrasound system for other patient imaging studies. 4D View is one tool that delivers this capability and integrates with other imaging systems to retrieve and render images, even adding measurements and notes.
Practices can further improve their interoperability by adopting archiving systems that pull records from multiple sources to create clear, concise reports, reducing the time required to merge records.
The Advantages of Interoperability
An interoperability-driven medical practice increases revenues, reduces waiting and processing times, and boosts efficiency while remaining compliant and secure. These systems typically utilize a combination of local, off-site and cloud storage.
Medical practices can reduce costs and increase security by outsourcing some of their long-term data storage. Off-site and cloud storage solutions are easily scalable, since a practice only pays for the storage it needs. Third-party data centers generally have higher security standards that are easy to implement for small to midsized businesses because the cost is shared among multiple consumers.
At the end of the day, the right combination of data archiving technologies depends on your practice's unique needs, goals, size and location. A healthy mix of these storage solutions can help medical practices maximize utility, minimize costs and mitigate the risk of data loss.
