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X-Ray films disposal HIPAA information.

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Medical X-ray films, CT Scans, MRI films, dental films, and other medical radiographic records are considered protected health information and must be destroyed and disposed of properly.

HIPAA rule.

The Privacy Rule is a section of this law designed to protect the privacy of certain health information.
This information (X-ray and MRI films) is known as Protected Health Information (“PHI”), which relates to an individual's health and identifies the individual.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, Public Law 104-191 (HIPAA), was signed into law in August 1996. It is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and enforced by the U.S. Office of Civil Rights.

Who is affected by this rule?

HIPAA requires all health plans, HMOs, Medicare (and Medicaid) plans, and health care providers—“Covered Entities”—to comply with its rules and regulations.

Smaller-covered entities include doctors, dentists, chiropractors, and urgent care centers. Under HIPAA, a "covered entity" is a facility or health care provider that must abide by and protect patient “PHI”—protected health information under HIPAA.

Retention period of medical records.

X-ray films, MRI scans, radiography images, and other medical records kept by physicians to ensure quality healthcare should be retained for a specific period. According to federal law, this duration is 7 years for adults and 18 years for minors, though each state has its own retention rules.

The HIPAA rule, however, does not refer to the period for retaining medical records; it is followed by the (local) department of health state law. Each state has a different law for keeping medical records.
click here to find out the x-rays retention period in your state.

HIPAA rule for medical records and x-ray film disposal process.

HIPAA left the responsibility for the X-ray disposal process with the physicians/facilities and also gave physicians/facilities the choice of doing an on-site or off-site destruction. However, the HIPAA rule does state that the disposal of X-ray films and other medical records must be carried out in a way that preserves the confidentiality of the information.

A “Certificate of Destruction” must be issued by the recycling company to confirm that proper destruction of protected health information has occurred.
The certificate of destruction provides the business entity (physician, lab, etc.) with documentation that proper disposal of medical records has taken place. The certificate may also be used for tax purposes.

How can that be accomplished?

Proper X-rays can be disposed of by shredding the X-ray films or medical records on-site or off-site.
The shredding must be done correctly, assuring the complete destruction of the information permanently.
The disadvantage of on-site mobile X-ray shredding:

• Cost, on-site X-ray shredding offers a portable solution, but it often has mechanical issues. Additionally, transporting the shredded film to the recycling facility can become quite expensive since the volume of the film doubles after shredding. In many cases, the shredding company will charge the film owner to perform such service
• Space and time - Not all facilities have enough space for a big truck sitting outside for long hours.
• Unexpected weather - An unexpected wind or rain during mobile shredding can lead to a risk of PHI breach, as records can unexpectedly fly with the wind.

Off-site X-ray film destruction - An X-ray film recycling company that will be responsible for picking up the X-rays from the customer's site and securely transport them to a closed facility to properly destroy the X-ray films and provide a certificate of destruction.

Advantages for disposing of x-ray films with a recycling company.

• Piece of mind - The recycling company will take full responsibility for the protected information from the moment it leaves your facility.
• Most X-rays contain silver, which can be reclaimed during recycling. This allows physicians and facilities to receive cash back for the x-ray film while ensuring proper disposal. Consequently, recycling x-rays is both a cost-effective and efficient option.
• A reputable X-ray film recycling facility will make all efforts to protect the information during transport as well as inside the recycling facility and will make every effort to destroy all of the information on the medical records to ensure that the certificate of destruction provided will be accurate.
• reputable x-ray recycling facility will make all efforts in order to protect the information during transport as well as inside the recycling facility and will make all efforts in order to destroy all of the information on the medical records to assure that the certificate of destruction provided will be accurate.
• Most types of x-rays contain silver, as part of recycling the x-rays the silver is reclaimed. By that fact physicians / facilities can actually get cash back for the x-ray film and have it disposed of properly, which makes recycling X-Rays a cost-effective and efficient alternative.

In summary, recycling old X-Ray films is advantageous for both health care providers and the environment.

A reputable X-ray recycling company should be EPA-registered to ensure environmentally friendly disposal of X-ray film according to federal guidelines. Furthermore, the company must comply with HIPAA regulations regarding handling X-rays and sensitive medical records.

The environment aspect of X-ray film recycling

X-ray films contain toxic materials that can harm the environment and human health if not disposed of properly.

Silver is an important natural resource. Recycling X-ray films in a refinery which extracts silver allows the silver to be reused for things such as silver solder, jewelry, the silver plating of utensils, electrical components, and film remanufacturing.
Discover the importance of recycling scrap X-rays instead of sending them to a landfill.

Who are we?

B.W. Recycling, Inc. is a global company with over 30 years of expertise in recovering precious metals such as silver and gold. We directly serve various industries, particularly the medical sector, without outsourcing. Our services include recycling all types of X-ray film for silver recovery, covering medical X-rays, industrial NDT film, and lithographic film.
Click here for more information about the silver recovery process at our facility.

B.W. Recycling, Inc. is dedicated to responsibly following the strict EPA regulations for the safe destruction and disposal of X-rays.

Finally our tips:

Tip: Always seek a reliable X-ray film recycler. Be cautious when handing over sensitive items like X-rays to a recycler, which promises greater silver returns.

Remember, the least important part of the x-ray destruction process is the silver reclamation. The main purpose is to ensure that all sensitive information, including paper jackets, sleeve charts, and other media with patient data, is destroyed permanently.

When requesting a rate quote for recycling X-ray film, ask the recycler for recent references from physicians in your area who have sent their film to them for recycling. Remember to call those references to inquire about the process and whether they received reimbursement for silver recovery from the X-rays.

Business associate agreement

Signing a business associate agreement with the X-ray film recycling company is crucial. Also, not every business associate found online is suitable for X-ray film destruction. Many business associate agreements do not specify the scope of work of the X-ray film destruction process, making them invalid.
Click here to read more about the importance of a business associate agreement when disposing of X-ray film.

Find out why you should choose B.W. Recycling, Inc for this process.