Question

In general, individual health care providers must retain a patient's LHR for ____ years after the last treatment date, or three years from the patient's death.

A) 1
B) 5
C) 10
D) 3

Answer 1

Health care providers are required to retain a patient's LHR for 10 years after the last treatment date. When forming health record policies, it's important to consider treatment costs, patient quality of life, and privacy risks. For 80 women with an average stay exceeding five days, their combined stays are likely to surpass one year in the hospital.

Step-by-step explanation:

In general, individual health care providers must retain a patient's LHR (Lifetime Health Record) for 10 years after the last treatment date, or three years from the patient's death. As such, the correct answer is C) 10. When drafting policies regarding health records, it's essential to balance various considerations. The three questions that must be addressed are:

1. How can the costs of treatments and diagnoses be balanced with the need to maintain comprehensive health records?
2. What measures can be taken to ensure a patient's quality of life is not compromised by health record policies?
3. How can individual privacy be protected while still retaining necessary health information for adequate patient care?

If an individual stayed more than five days in hospital and we know that the average stay of 80 women was more than five days, it is statistically likely that collectively, these women spent more than a year in the hospital. This assertion is based on the fact that if 80 women each stayed 'more than five days', it results in an aggregate that exceeds 400 days, which is longer than a calendar year.