Medical Records Shredding – The Quest For Total Security
Of all the types of documents that have to be disposed of securely, medical records rank among the top with regards to required security. In this age of recycling, it is imperative that a person who is responsible for disposing of sensitive documents understand that a locked trash can is just not enough. This is due to the fact that once paper trash is hauled away in a trash truck, it is then sorted for recycling and can pass through several hands before it is finally destroyed.
A Patients Trust
The last thing on a patients mind when they receive medical care is their medical records, which can and often do contain sensitive highly personal information. Patients just assume that the professionals that they are dealing with will handle their medical records accordingly. This means that any establishment that assumes the control of medical records has a responsibility to dispose of them in a secure manner when they are through with them.
On Site and Remote Site Shredding
There are two basic types of paper shredding services that can deliver the high level of security that medical records call for. They are on site paper shredding service and remote site paper shredding. While they both deliver the same high level of security it is where they do the shredding the separates the two.
Shredded on the Spot
On site shredding is just what it sounds like. A truck arrives on a designated day and shreds the papers that they pick up on the spot. Generally this type of service uses a crane to hoist the container of paper into an industrial shredder to eliminate any possibility of human contact with the documents being shredded.
Several Layers of Security
Then there is the other type of shredding service option. With remote site shredding, the documents to be shredded are picked up and taken to a remote shredding facility where various levels of security measures are in place to insure that all paper that is brought in goes directly through the shredding process before it is repackaged and sent out for recycling.
