Release of Information for Healthcare

Release of information (ROI) is a function that virtually all healthcare providers must perform. Unfortunately, this process is resource intense, complex and riddled with risk.

If you are like many healthcare providers, you face at least one, if not multiple, of the ROI-related challenges below:

• difficulty keeping up with the increasing frequency of audits and shortened windows for response often resulting in a large backlog of requests
• the amount time and risk associated with pulling information from multiple EMR systems or physically transferring records from another facility to fulfill requests
• limited staff that must extend bandwidth across multiple strategic goals, making it difficult to ensure your ROI program has the dedicated support it needs
• keeping your staff on top of the routine and comprehensive HIPAA and ROI training required to maintain compliance

While these challenges are daunting, providing compliant Release of Information doesn’t have to be.

Iron Mountain Release of Information solution offers a comprehensive suite of Release of Information solutions. From fully outsourced programs to supplemental ROI services that help you simplify and contain costs of your in-house program, Iron Mountain has a solution for every challenge.

REMOTE ROI SUPPORT

Healthcare providers often struggle to manage the complexity of the Release of Information process. Resources are fixed but request volumes fluctuate frequently. ROI management software can help streamline this process but it is expensive, forcing many providers to continue to manage and track the ROI process manually. This makes it extremely difficult to ensure all requests are processed in a consistent manner that ensure compliance with mandatory regulatory requirements.

• expert program oversight
• ROI technology platform
• billable request review and fulfillment support

IRON MOUNTAIN CUSTODIAL RECORDS SOLUTIONS

Whether you are simply preparing for retirement or tasked with the challenge of closing down your hospital or practice, access to patient health records is still required. It’s important to ensure that records remain accessible throughout their retention period. Failing to provide the proper accommodations to ensure records can be released to patients and other authorized requesters as well as failing to securely store patient records until the end of their lifecycle could expose your healthcare organization to significant risks and penalties.

To help healthcare organizations address these regulatory obligations, Iron Mountain offers the Iron Mountain® Custodial Records Solution. This end-to-end service enables closing practices or hospitals to securely store physical and electronic records, release information throughout the required retention period and defensibly destroy records upon retention expiration.

Why Is This Needed?

Providers are required to store, release and protect patient information over the record retention period –whether their facility is open or closed. In fact, every state in the United States has requirements for closing hospitals and practices. Some states provide these as mere guidelines, while others have enacted these requirements into law. Should a healthcare organization fail to follow these laws correctly, it could lead to fines and penalties.

Additionally, in order to meet HIPAA obligations pertaining to the security of PHI, providers must securely destroy physical and electronic records upon retention expiration to mitigate the future risks that may arise from potential litigation or a breach.