Which record filing method is least likely to be used in a typical health information department?

Which record filing method is least likely to be used in a typical health information department?

• A. Straight numeric
• B. Terminal digit
• C. Alphabetic by last name
• D. Subject-based filing

Answer: (D)

In health information management, records are organized around a stable patient identifier so a complete chart can be located quickly and accurately. Subject-based filing sorts records by topics or subjects, which fragments a single patient’s file across many folders and makes pulling the entire chart slow and error-prone. Straight numeric and terminal-digit systems support fast, scalable retrieval for large volumes of charts, and alphabetic by last name is used in some contexts, but it’s the subject-based approach that doesn’t fit the way patient records are accessed and managed, making it the least likely primary filing method.

In health information management, records are organized around a stable patient identifier so a complete chart can be located quickly and accurately. Subject-based filing sorts records by topics or subjects, which fragments a single patient’s file across many folders and makes pulling the entire chart slow and error-prone. Straight numeric and terminal-digit systems support fast, scalable retrieval for large volumes of charts, and alphabetic by last name is used in some contexts, but it’s the subject-based approach that doesn’t fit the way patient records are accessed and managed, making it the least likely primary filing method.