When a physician retires, sells or closes a practice, the responsibility for the patient records doesn’t end. In Ontario, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) expects physicians to give patients at least 90 days’ notice of a planned closure, keep charts for 10 years from the last entry (for children, 10 years after they turn 18), and make sure patients can still get their records. Someone has to look after those records and answer requests for years after the office door is locked.
The three things every closing practice has to settle
- Notification. Patients need to know the closure date, whether a successor is taking over, and how to get their records or transfer care. For a planned closure CPSO’s policy sets 90 days as the minimum notice. If a successor takes over the practice the period can be shorter, and for a sudden closure (illness, for example) notice is due as soon as possible.
- Safekeeping. Paper charts and EMR data both need a secure, accountable home. Many physicians underestimate this part: they are winding down a practice, not planning to manage record storage and requests for the next decade.
- Ongoing access. Patients, new physicians and authorized third parties keep the right to request records after you close. CPSO’s records policy expects copies to be provided within 30 days of a request, sooner where delay could affect care.
What “the retention period” means in practice
For an adult patient the clock runs 10 years from the date of the last entry in the chart. For a child, it runs until 10 years after the day the patient turned (or would have turned) 18, so a pediatric chart can need to be kept for close to three decades. If someone makes an access request before the period ends, the record has to be kept until that matter is resolved. CPSO also notes that the Limitations Act can allow some legal proceedings many years after the fact, so keeping records longer than the minimum can be prudent.
Why most physicians hand this off
Keeping the records yourself means dedicated storage space, secure handling, and staying reachable for requests long after you’ve retired. A records management provider takes on the practical work on your behalf: notifying patients, storing and managing your charts in paper, EMR or both, handling each request that comes in, and destroying records securely when the retention period ends.
What to ask a records management provider
- Do they handle paper and EMR, or only one?
- Who contacts your patients, and how? (Mailed notice plus phone outreach catches the patients whose letters go to an old address.)
- How quickly are record requests fulfilled, and who pays for them?
- What happens at the end of the retention period, and do you get proof of destruction?
- Will they notify the College of the new location of your records, and your referral partners of the change?
- What does it cost you?
How Records Management Ltd. works
When you close your practice, we manage your patient records on your behalf. We mail a notice to every patient and follow up by phone, tell the CPSO where your records are now held, can notify your referral network of the change, store and manage your paper and EMR charts, and handle each request that follows, with most requests fulfilled within a week. When the retention period ends the records are securely shredded and you receive a Record of Destruction. For family physicians and pediatricians there is no cost for active patient charts (patients seen in the last three years). Specialists receive a custom quote. Throughout, patients keep full access to their records.
Call us early, before any charts move. The no-cost arrangement for family physicians and pediatricians works because Records Management handles all patient record requests for the charts we manage on your behalf. So the best time to contact us is as soon as you decide to close, before you transfer files to another physician or tell patients where to send requests. Talking to us first lets us plan the simplest, lowest-cost route for you and keeps your patients’ requests in one dependable place. If some charts have already been transferred, call anyway and we’ll talk through your options.
If you’re planning a closure, start three to six months before your closing date. That leaves time to notify patients properly and choose a provider without rushing.
Talk to us about your closure.
Related reading
- Medical practice closure services
- Closing your medical practice in Ontario: the CPSO 90-day rule and a checklist
Sources and further reading
This article is general information, not legal advice. Check the current CPSO policies “Closing a Medical Practice” and “Medical Records Management” for the exact requirements that apply to you.