Records Management (RM): What Every Business Should Know

Let's first start out by defining what records management is.  Records management is basically responsible for receiving and disposing of records and other important documents in accordance with the companies’ guidelines whether stationed in-house or off-site.  Furthermore, records management is accountable for ensuring that all stored records are kept confidential and in tack when in an active status and could possibly include categorization as well.  Every business should have a records management program in place to manage its personal documents and should take extra precaution as to who should access the material. Simply put, records management is a very important aspect of the business operations.  Some companies may opt to hire an outside records management program to manage its records due to lack of space and/or adequate manpower.  And in other cases, companies may use a warehouse located somewhere near the facility to store its records, while other companies have sufficient space to store its records in-house. 

 Physical records could be in the form of paper, tapes, films, files, books, archives, recordings, or other documents. Examples of records are medical information, employee records, birth certificates, office data, charts, medical x-rays and other important information.  Every record should be stored in such a way as to prevent environmental damage such as moisture and abrasive temperature. When records are no longer needed- the company should properly dispose of them.  Proper disposal would be shredding or burning. Companies should never discard whole or partial records directly in a garbage bin. Doing so would violate client/ customer privacy and confidentiality rights.

There are several good reasons as to why a company should implement a records management system. One good reason is to securely store records as to protect confidential material in order to avoid potential lawsuits.  Companies must stay in compliant with the laws where it concerns the privacy rights of customers, clients, employees, and patients.  By setting a good records management system in place a company can lessen its risk of litigation.  Another reason for a company to use a records management system is to de-clutter the office and maintain the records in an orderly fashion. When records are accurately labeled and categorized this will help simplify the retrieval of records when needed. And yet another reason is preserve active records up until the time of disposal.  Records management should never dispose of any records until given proper authorization by the company. Most companies keep records in storage until a certain period of time.  Records management will need to adhere to the company’s guidelines regarding the disposal of records.
 
In conclusion, it’s imperative that every company takes the time to put a good records management system in place regardless of the size of the company.  Just think how you would feel if you went to your health care facility to get copies of an x-ray that you had done several years ago, only to learn that the record had been destroyed by moisture or that they could not locate it.  What would your reaction be?  Would you take legal action against the company?