Record retention policies for clinical laboratories

Information about the state and federal record retention requirements for clinical laboratories in Massachusetts

Federal and State laboratory regulations require that all records be kept for a specified period of time. The schedule noted below indicates the retention periods required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

These time periods represent the minimal retention periods. Facilities accredited by other agencies should check with their accrediting agency for retention requirements.

Requisitions

Document	CMS Retention Requirement	State Retention Requirement
Clinical Laboratory	2 years	4 years
Blood Bank	5 years	4 years
Pathology	2 years	4 years
Cytology	2 years	4 years

Worksheets

Document	CMS Retention Requirement	State Retention Requirement
Clinical Laboratory	2 years	4 years
Blood Bank	5 years	4 years
Pathology	2 years	4 years
Cytology	2 years	4 years

Reports

Document	CMS Retention Requirement	State Retention Requirement
Clinical Laboratory	2 years	4 years
Blood Bank	5 years	4 years
Pathology	10 years	4 years
Cytology	10 years	4 years

Slides

Document	CMS Retention Requirement	State Retention Requirement
Hematology	Not defined	Not defined
Pathology	10 years	7 years
Cytology	5 years	7 years

Blocks

Document	CMS Retention Requirement	State Retention Requirement
Pathology	2 years	7 years