Law firms and insurance companies of all sizes seek out record retrieval specialists like MRC every day because many realize record retrieval is more than just asking for records. It’s a complex process that can be labor intensive and requires a deep understanding of the laws that govern how records are retained and released by providers.
If your record retrieval team is constantly hitting roadblocks when it comes to collecting medical records, now is the time to partner with a proven record retrieval specialist.
Here are some signs it may be time to outsource your record retrieval needs:
Speed: We’re missing our deadlines
If you have missed a court-mandated or internally driven deadline, it’s time to bring in the professionals. Missing deadlines have far-reaching consequences that can include hurting your reputation and your chances of securing the best possible outcome for your case.
Knowing custodian preferences, which forms to send, and which records to request are key to securing records on time. Any mistake in your original request will almost certainly result in delayed records. Without the full set of records, legal proceedings are trapped in limbo and insurance adjusters can’t process claims.
Scope: We’re overwhelmed
When records begin pouring in, firms sometimes discover they don’t have the adequate staff to handle the onslaught of documents once they arrive. It can take weeks for someone at your firm to sort through hundreds of pages of records to determine what’s relevant for the case. What makes things worse, this lengthy process must be repeated over and over again with the arrival of each new stack of records.
Accuracy: We’re missing records
If you’re constantly dealing with inaccurate or missing records, you’re leaving yourself vulnerable to costly surprises and embarrassment in court. Unless you are 100% confident your record retrieval team knows HIPAA guidelines, which custodians to contact, which processes to follow, and which forms to fill out, you’re playing a dangerous game of chance.
Firms that handle their record retrieval find that records can filter in sporadically and unpredictably. In many cases, records are the most important part of the case. Without the full set of records, it’s almost impossible to get a clear picture of the evidence and prepare for the case.
Productivity: We’re spending too much time chasing records
One of the main reasons law firms outsource their record retrieval needs is to cut down on staff being constantly pulled away from higher priority tasks. The process of submitting a record request, following up on the request, analyzing records, and organizing them can take hours out of an employee’s week — time that could be better spent on higher-value work.
Firms sometimes underestimate the effort it takes to coordinate with a custodian during the retrieval process and the amount of time that goes into resolving delays, including the need to follow up on a record request denial.
Cost: It’s costing us more than we realized
If your record retrieval process is eating a hole through your budget, now is the time to take control of your cost. Because record retrieval is so time-intensive, the hours your staff spends on record retrieval can quickly soar to more than what you or your client is willing to spend. Firms sometimes make the mistake of paying more for one person in-house to do their record retravel (among their other tasks) than they would if they hired a team of specialists who are focused only on record retrieval.
Firms that handle their record retrieval may not be aware of the state guidelines that set limits to how much a custodian can charge for records. These guidelines allow you to challenge the cost of the charges to bring them in compliance with the law – ultimately saving you money.
Why Choose MRC
With MRC as your partner, you can be confident that you will receive the records you need when you need them. Our experienced record retrieval specialists and project managers have an in-depth understanding of the record retrieval process and value the importance of meeting deadlines.
We are committed to containing your costs with our budget monitoring tools. We offer the ability to project, monitor, and place a cap on expenditures. Our proprietary document management application WiseFiles®, was built with a sophisticated calendaring process to manage thousands of litigation-specific dates so that you never miss a deadline. It is equipped with an array of organizational features including custom Bates stamping.
