To secure 24/7 access to paper health records, the Director of the HIM Department should

To secure 24/7 access to paper health records, the Director of the HIM Department should

• A. Staff the department with personnel 24 hours a day
• B. Hire security guards for night shifts
• C. Restrict access to certain hours
• D. Outsource records management

Answer: (A)

Continuous access to paper health records relies on having trained staff available at all times. By staffing the HIM department around the clock, there is always someone who can locate the needed file, verify the requester’s identity and authorization, retrieve the record, and document the access, ensuring timely and compliant release. Other options don’t guarantee accessibility: security guards provide protection but not reliable record retrieval; restricting hours creates coverage gaps; outsourcing might shift responsibility but does not inherently ensure 24/7 on-site access to paper records and can raise privacy concerns.

Continuous access to paper health records relies on having trained staff available at all times. By staffing the HIM department around the clock, there is always someone who can locate the needed file, verify the requester’s identity and authorization, retrieve the record, and document the access, ensuring timely and compliant release. Other options don’t guarantee accessibility: security guards provide protection but not reliable record retrieval; restricting hours creates coverage gaps; outsourcing might shift responsibility but does not inherently ensure 24/7 on-site access to paper records and can raise privacy concerns.