If you’ve decide to close your medical practice, there are many tasks that will need to be taken care of to ensure a smooth transition. If you’re completely closing your practice, not selling it or transferring it to another physician, handling patient records properly becomes a concern. A retiring physician needs to meet all legal and ethical requirements without having to always be in touch with former patients.

Get Organized

Step one would be to evaluate the situation as a whole. How many records does the practice have in total? Which records will need to be retained, and which ones should be securely disposed? States have varying guidelines and laws regarding patient medical records, so you’ll need to research your particular state’s policies. Some have time limits (25 years, indefinitely, or other limits), some have various policies depending on if the patient was a minor or an adult at the time of the visit, and some specify requirement depending on the type of exam that was performed (such as a mammogram or CAT scan). Contacting your local counsel or state medical society may be helpful in determining what requirements exist and how to meet them. Your malpractice carrier may also be able to inform you about these policies.

Get a Custodian

Find a local physician, hospital, or private company to transfer your patient records to. This entity will take care of all patient medical records from the closing of your practice into the foreseeable future, so it’s important to choose one that you can trust to continue to provide your patients with excellent service. A great option for this is My Retired Doctor. We take care of every detail of your medical practice’s record transfer, retention, and distribution. We scan all patient records, store them securely, and send them to the proper channels whenever the need arises. You can trust that your records will be handled in the most respectful and ethical manner possible. Plus your former patients will be able to easily access their medical records with the click of a button! Set yourself up for a smooth transition into retirement, and give your patients the opportunity to transfer to a new doctor seamlessly, courtesy of My Retired Doctor! Get started now by calling 877-328-2343, emailing info@datafied.com, or sending us a message by selecting your state here: https://www.myretireddoctor.com/contact-us.php

Oh by the way, and congratulations on your retirement!