Question

Jill has been asked to revise the health record retention policy for her organization. In particular, administration believes the current policy does not properly reflect the length of times that the records of minors should be retained. In conducting her research, Jill refers to the AHIMA best practices for record retention. Based on what she has researched, which of the following should she recommend to administration regarding retention of the health records of minors?

a) Retain until the minor reaches 18 years old
b) Retain for 10 years after the last treatment date or until the minor reaches 21 years old, whichever is longer
c) Retain for 5 years after the last treatment date or until the minor reaches 18 years old, whichever is longer
d) Retain indefinitely to ensure comprehensive patient history

Answer 1

Jill should recommend retaining the health records of minors for 5 years after the last treatment date or until the minor reaches 18 years old, whichever is longer.

Step-by-step explanation:

According to the AHIMA best practices for record retention, Jill should recommend retaining the health records of minors for 5 years after the last treatment date or until the minor reaches 18 years old, whichever is longer.

This ensures compliance with the current policy and takes into account the importance of protecting the privacy of minors. The retention period should be based on the longer of the two options provided.