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People all over the world are gaining interest in learning more about their family history. DNA tells us a lot about where we come from, but historic documents can give provide exquisite details. That is why these documents must be preserved.

Anytime a patient interacts with a member of the medical community—from visiting a physician to calling a medical office with a question to filling a prescription—the events are noted in a health record. Thanks to technological advancements, many medical records are electronic. Several clinics, however, continue to use paper-based charts, as the practice may be more convenient to the providers and their staff. A health information records manager ensures the information in physical and electronic records remains up to date and accessible, in accordance with the facility’s document retention policy and privacy standards. The specialists use their expertise to align health care information with security and safety to protect a patient’s privacy and right to confidentiality.

Records losses for a non-profit organization could prove catastrophic. In addition to potentially crippling operations, losses could be a violation of federal and state document retention policies, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Because records-related incidents could have implications that a non-profit might not expect, it is wise to create a document retention policy with retention schedules, as well as a disaster preparedness plan that includes document drying and restoration.

Before the days of digital documents, the standards regarding what was an original document and what was a copy were clear. When it came to the legal validity of a copy or fax, an institution had to determine if the electronic record was evidence of a contract and if the signatures within it served as proof of a contact’s acceptance. When fax machines rose in popularity, few legal courts and companies accepted facsimiles with signatures as “originals” until 1995. Today, electronically transmitted documents and faxes often suffice as proof of an agreement or at least serve as interim evidence until the original is made available. Whether a scanned or electronic document is as credible or valuable as the original depends on a business’s document management procedures and the document in question.

When Benjamin Franklin cleverly stated that the only certainties in life are death and taxes, he did not foresee the amount of paperwork that future generations of printing presses would produce. With time, file cabinets fill with documents that you will rarely need, but know are important to keep. Thankfully, modern technology has made it possible to reduce clutter by saving documents in digital formats that ensure easy accessibility, storage and document recovery. Knowing when to keep original files and when to shred them will help reduce clutter and make your document management efforts simpler.