Keeping track of your medical records may not be your number one priority right now, but if you’re moving out of state, changing insurance providers, or are screenings, tests, or treatments for COVID-19 and want to keep track of unexpected increased medical costs as a result, not having those records readily available can quickly become a major headache. So what’s the best way to keep track of your medical records and avoid a hassle down the line?
How Do I Keep Track of My Medical Records?
You most likely receive your medical records digitally by default at this point, but you may also be getting hard copies, requesting hard copies of your records, or have older records that you don’t have digital copies of yet. You’ll want to go through the medical records you do have and make sure you have everything you need. If you notice anything major is missing, you’ll want to reach out to the doctor’s office or medical provider in question
Once you’re certain you have the medical records you should have, the easiest way to keep track would be to digitize them. Chances are at least some of the records you have on hand are physical copies. To make it as easy as possible, you’ll want to store your records all in the same format, preferably digitally, and have them all stored in the same secure, encrypted location.
How Do I Securely Store My Medical Records?
Many people assume that storing important documents like your medical records in your home would be the safest, most secure option, but that might not be the case. Oftentimes physical documents that don’t need to be at the ready get stored in places like a basement or attic which are areas more prone to either flooding or other kinds of potential damage.
Storing digital documents on your home computer isn’t necessarily safe either. Between hard drive crashes and identity theft-related hacking, you may put yourself at greater risk by trying to store your records at home. You’ll want to explore outside options for your security.
How Long Should I Keep My Medical Records?
You should be holding onto documents like medical bills for a year at the very least, but five or so is recommended. You want to be able to provide documentation in case of a payment dispute with your insurance company or medical provider. Other documents that you’ll want to keep as long as possible include documents outlining things like allergies, pre-existing conditions, and more for if you move or change insurance providers.
Securely Store Your Medical Records with Storage Quarters
Your private medical records deserve the highest quality safety and security behind them. Storage Quarters can work with you to provide storage of physical documents at our secure Garden City location. We provide document shredding and document digitizing services to make securely accessing your medical records easier than ever before. If you are a medical facility such as a doctor’s office, hospital, or other healthcare professional and require long-term storage, we offer custodial medical records storage as well. Contact us for a free quote today.