The prevalence of electronic records has dramatically reduced the need for dental practices to keep paper documents. Nevertheless, many clinics still have cabinets and even rooms full of old files and continue to acquire a certain amount of paper documentation. Professional Document Destruction Shredding in Los Angeles is an effective, convenient and time-saving way to get rid of unnecessary paperwork that takes up a large amount of space.
These documents cannot simply be disposed of in the trash since they contain private, confidential information. That information may include medical histories and financial information such as credit and debit card numbers. Experts recommend storing financial information separate from medical details, but not all clinics do so because of convenience factors. That was particularly true before computerized systems became pervasive. Needing to create two separate files for each patient was cumbersome and required, even more, storage space.
Scanning documents to convert them to electronic form and having clerical staff perform data entry and transcription allows dental practices to dispense with old files. Dentists are required by law to maintain patient recordkeeping, but they do not need to keep paper copies with details of every single interaction. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, known as HIPAA, advises dentists as to when they can legally dispose of various types of records. It also mandates that those records be destroyed and not simply thrown away.
Government agencies encourage all medical clinics to use professional shredding services such as Shred Confidential to ensure that there is no way for anyone to piece documents back together. Offices that have their own clerical staff do shredding typically don’t own the complex, industrial-style equipment that characterizes professional services for Document Destruction Shredding in Los Angeles. The equipment may just cut the documents into long strips instead of turning it into confetti. A practical matter also is a consideration, which is the time that clinic staff members must spend on this project if they are responsible for it. Bringing in a temporary worker is unacceptable because of confidentiality issues.
