Table 4.
Respondent States and Corresponding State Record Retention Laws for Acute Care General Hospitals
| State | # Responses/State | State Record Retention Law |
|---|---|---|
| TX | 8 | 10 years after last treatment (adults); 10 years after last treatment or at age 20 (minors) |
| NC | 6 | 11 years after discharge (adults); at age 30 (minors) |
| AL | 5 | 5 years |
| IL | 5 | In accordance with hospital policy based on American Hospital Association recommendations and legal opinion |
| MA | 5 | 30 years after discharge or final treatment |
| PA | 5 | 7 years after discharge (adults); until age of majority plus 7 years or as long as adults' records are maintained (minors) |
| UT | 5 | 7 years after last date of patient care or 3 years after minor reaches age 18, whichever is first |
| WI | 5 | 5 years after discharge |
| AR | 3 | 10 years after discharge (adults); 2 years after age of majority (minors) |
| IN | 3 | 7 years |
| OH | 3 | 7 years or 6 years after fiscal audit (Title XIX records) |
| OK | 3 | 5 years after last encounter or 3 years after patient death; 6 years (Medicaid records) |
| OR | 3 | 10 years after last discharge |
| VA | 3 | 5 years after discharge (adults); 5 years after age 18 (minors) |
| MS | 2 | 7 years after death; 10 years (adults); period of minority plus 7 years (minors), but not to exceed 28 years |
| SC | 2 | 10 years (adults); 1 year following majority (minors) |
| SD | 2 | 10 years after late date of care (adults); age of majority plus 2 years or 10 years, whichever is longer (minors) |
| TN | 2 | 10 years after discharge or death (adults); until majority plus 1 year or 10 years after discharge, whichever is longer (minors) |
| CA | 1 | 7 years after discharge (adults) or 1 year after majority or at least 7 years (minors) |
| CO | 1 | 10 years after most recent patient care (adults); age of majority plus 10 years (minors) |
| DC | 1 | 10 years after patient discharge |
| FL | 1 | 7 years after last entry |
| GA | 1 | 6 years after discharge (adults); until age 27 (minors) |
| IA | 1 | In accordance with statute of limitations |
| MD | 1 | 5 years after record is made (adults); age of majority plus 3 years or 5 years, whichever is later (minors) |
| MI | 1 | 6 years (Medicaid) |
| MO | 1 | In accordance with statute of limitations (which is a maximum of 10 years) |
| NM | 1 | 10 years after last discharge |
| ND | 1 | 10 years after last treatment (adults); age 21 or 10 years after last treatment, whichever is later (minors) |
| RI | 1 | 5 years after discharge (adults); 5 years after age 18 (minors) |
| WA | 1 | 10 years after most recent discharge (adults); 3 years after age 18 or 10 years after most recent discharge, whichever is longer (minors) |
| WV | 1 | Period not stated; permanent retention implied |
Source: Fletcher, Donna M., and Harry B. Rhodes. “Retention of Health Information” (Updated). AHIMA Practice Brief, Web extra (June 2002).