Washington Code 70.41.190 – Medical records of patients — Retention and preservation
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Unless specified otherwise by the department, a hospital shall retain and preserve all medical records which relate directly to the care and treatment of a patient for a period of no less than ten years following the most recent discharge of the patient; except the records of minors, which shall be retained and preserved for a period of no less than three years following attainment of the age of eighteen years, or ten years following such discharge, whichever is longer.
Terms Used In Washington Code 70.41.190
- Department: means the Washington state department of health. See Washington Code 70.41.020
- Discharge: means a patient's release from a hospital following the patient's admission to the hospital. See Washington Code 70.41.020
- Hospital: as used in this chapter does not include hotels, or similar places furnishing only food and lodging, or simply domiciliary care; nor does it include clinics, or physician's offices where patients are not regularly kept as bed patients for twenty-four hours or more; nor does it include nursing homes, as defined and which come within the scope of chapter 18. See Washington Code 70.41.020
If a hospital ceases operations, it shall make immediate arrangements, as approved by the department, for preservation of its records.
The department shall by regulation define the type of records and the information required to be included in the medical records to be retained and preserved under this section; which records may be retained in photographic form pursuant to chapter 5.46 RCW.
NOTES:
Savings—Effective date—1985 c 213: See notes following RCW 43.20.050.
Medical records, disclosure: Chapter 70.02 RCW.