Do medical records expire?

Do medical records expire?

Arthur Shorr (Former COO and SVP of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center) gives expert video advice on: Who owns my medical records?; What information does my medical record contain? and more...

Medical records don't necessarily expire, but hospitals and physicians have a responsibility to keep them for a certain length of time. Every state has slightly different rules and regulations about how long they have to be kept. They always have to be kept for at least seven years, and in some states, records for children must be kept until they become adults.