Your facility has had an electronic record for over 10 years. Prior to that all records were on paper. You have discovered a warehouse where many previous paper records have been stored (this is an actual situation). Some of these records go back 50 years. Many of the patients continue to be seen by your facility. You realize that something needs to be done with all these paper charts. You go to review your record retention policy and discover that it states records should be kept forever. This is not consistent with current regulations or best practices. You need to come up with a new policy for both the old paper records and for your current electronic records. Based on this information:

1. Determine the factors that the minimum retention policy should be based on. Include federal, licensing, and accreditation (i.e. The Joint Commission requirements).
2. Identify the statute of limitations for the state in which you reside.
3. Identify the record retention requirement for the state in which you reside.
4. Include in your discussion the consequences of keeping electronic records "forever".
5. Based on the information above, recommend the length of time that your medical records should be kept in the following areas. Justify your recommendation.
   • Paper records found in the warehouse (include a discussion on the procedure to follow if the patient is still being seen in the facility)
   • Adult Patient Records
   • Minor Patient Records (define "minor")
   • Deceased Patient Records
6. Determine the method of destruction for both the paper records and electronic records. Include in your recommendation a justification as to whether you would do the process in-house or outsource it.

You will need a minimum of three outside professional resources for this project. Dot.com or blogs are not appropriate