New release of information service helps healthcare providers meet long-term regulatory requirements for protected health information
SOUTH BEND, Ind., March 27, 2023 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Harmony Healthcare IT, a first-to-market innovator of health data management solutions, today announced a new Records Release service that allows healthcare providers (or their trustees) to confidently outsource release of information responsibilities. Outsourcing medical or employee records release is often a necessary option for healthcare facilities facing department/facility closure or merger and acquisition (M&A). This new service offering supports an industry need for lifecycle data solutions as it has been reported rural hospitals are at risk of shutting down and that a steady consolidation of health systems through M&A is expected to continue through 2030.
According to state guidelines, the rules set by the Health Insurance and Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and the 21st Century Cures Act (Cures Act), patient records must remain accessible after closure or M&A. While most healthcare records must be retained for a minimum of six years to meet HIPAA regulations, other factors can impact medical record retention periods such as whether the patient is a minor or if they were treated for a specific medical condition (e.g., behavioral health or oncology).
"Working through records management when a healthcare facility closes or gets acquired can be complex," said Jon Grenier, MPA, Senior Director of Product Strategy at Harmony Healthcare IT. "The long-term plan for personally identifiable information requires an experienced and knowledgeable coordinator to manage the statutory requirements once a medical facility will no longer handle the records itself."
The Harmony Healthcare IT team is in a unique position to offer this Records Release service with its broad experience of working with more than 550 clinical and financial software brands for data migration or archival from electronic medical record, practice management, and human resource software. This new offering supports the future release of information that may be needed for patient care, litigation, insurance audits, workers' compensation, validation of employment, and other reasons. While each hospital or medical practice closure or acquisition is unique, generally, the Harmony Healthcare IT Records Release services will include:
- Data extraction from legacy systems (clinical, financial, or administrative)
- Discrete data storage in an active archive with release of information workflows
- A web landing page for requestors to learn about the record release process
- Secure information provision to requestors such as patients, employers, and payers
- A detailed audit trail of the record release process with date and time stamping
The Harmony Healthcare IT team is equipped to support healthcare delivery organizations to ensure there is a plan to keep patient, employee, and other business records secure, accessible, and deliverable to requestors.
More information about the Records Release service is available here.
Additional resources that focus on how to plan for department and facility closures or M&A include:
When Medical Departments Close, Continued Access to Records is Critical
What to do with Medical and Other Records when a Hospital or Practice Closes due to COVID-19 or other Business Reasons
Health Records Must Survive a Hospital or Medical Practice Closure
Mergers and Acquisitions: But What About the Legacy Data? - Healthcare Data Management Software & Services | Harmony Healthcare IT (harmonyhit.com)
About Harmony Healthcare IT
Harmony Healthcare IT is a data management firm that moves and stores patient, employee, and business records for healthcare organizations. To strengthen care delivery and improve lives, vital information is preserved and managed in a way that keeps it accessible, usable, interoperable, secure, and compliant. Since 2006, its team of experts has worked with over 550 unique clinical, financial, and administrative software brands used in U.S. and Canadian healthcare delivery organizations. Harmony Healthcare IT has been consistently ranked as the #1 data extraction, migration, and archival healthcare IT company according to Black Book™ Market Research for four years (2019-2022) as well as ranked #1 in the 2020 Best in KLAS Software & Services Report as a Category Leader in Data Archiving.
- For more information about Harmony Healthcare IT, visit: http://harmonyhit.com
Media Contact
Colleen Dalton, Harmony Healthcare IT, 1 8007811044 Ext: 149, [email protected]
SOURCE Harmony Healthcare IT
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