By: As healthcare professionals, we take pride and care in the detail in maintaining our employee files. Certain items must be separated from the others, files securely locked and out of reach from co-workers hands. Personnel’s personal information must be protected. We all know these things and probably already have a procedure in place for compliance.
Whether your facility has been deemed accredited (Joint Commission, for example) or just starting up, employee files must be maintained, reviewed, audited, and kept according to retention requirements. Knowing which laws apply aids in keeping your business compliant. For example, pursuant to ERISA laws, there is no specific time period to maintain records that reflect age, marital status and/or service records. The Social Security Acts states that employees’ social security numbers must be kept four years from the tax due date or payment of tax, whichever is later. So, there’s a lot of tracking going on.Continue reading
