Medical Record Retention

Objective

To ensure all clinical departments retain medical and financial records in an appropriate manner.

Policy

Patient medical records and related billing records shall be retained in their original or legally reproduced form for a period of at least six (6) years from the date of the patient’s last encounter or three (3) years after the patient’s age of majority (whichever is greater), unless otherwise required by any other University records retention policies or applicable statutes, rules or regulations.

Medical records and related billing records for patients who are mentally incompetent during any time they are treated shall be maintained in their original or legally reproduced form for a period of at least six (6) years from the date of the patient’s last encounter or three (3) years after the patient’s death (whichever is greater), unless otherwise required by any other University records retention policies or applicable statutes, rules or regulations.

These minimum periods for retention of patient medical records may be extended at the discretion of CUIMC clinicians.