The bill amends RCW 70.41.190 to establish new requirements for the retention of hospital medical records. Under the new provisions, hospitals are mandated to retain and preserve all medical records for a minimum of 26 years from the date the record was created. This applies to both records created before and after the effective date of the bill, with specific exceptions for records that are no longer retained by the hospital if they complied with previous retention requirements. Additionally, hospitals are allowed to maintain records in various formats, including paper, microfilm, and electronic media.

The bill also outlines procedures for hospitals that cease operations, requiring them to make immediate arrangements for the preservation of their records, subject to departmental approval. Furthermore, the department is tasked with defining the types of records and the necessary information to be included in the retained medical records, which may also be kept in photographic form. Importantly, all information collected during each unique patient visit is classified as a medical record under this legislation.

Statutes affected:
Original Bill: 70.41.190
Substitute Bill: 70.41.190