Patients Health Records Requirements for Nursing Facilities – Cal. Code Regs. tit. 22 § 72543

Records must be kept on each patient admitted into the nursing facility.  The records must be kept for 7 years after the patient is discharged from the facility.  If the patient is a minor, the records must be kept for one year after the patient reaches the age of 18, but f or at least seven (7) years.  Information in the medical record must remain confidential and can be disclosed only to authorized federal, state or local government agents.  The Department must be informed if a patient’s record is destroyed before the requisite time has expired.  The records must be kept current in accordance with standard medical practice.  The patient health record cannot be removed from the facility unless the record is being moved into an offsite storage facility after the patient has been discharged.