OLYMPIA — A bill to help hospitals significantly reduce the high costs of storing outdated medical records was signed into law Tuesday. Senate Bill 5239, sponsored by Sen. Vandana Slatter (D-Bellevue), passed the Legislature with bipartisan support.  

Right now, hospitals are required to keep medical records for 10 years after a patient’s discharge. If there’s no official discharge date, hospitals must keep the records indefinitely — something that’s been proven costly and hard to manage.  

“I have heard from hospitals such as the University of Washington (UW) Medical Center that are storing records from the 1950s,” Slatter said. “Many of those older records don’t have a clear discharge date and tracking one down can be difficult. Right now, UW Medical Center is spending about $750,000 every year just to store these old files — money that could be used to support patient care instead.” 

SB 5239 changes the retention period for medical records to 26 years from the date of creation rather than the discharge date. This ensures patients can access their records long after receiving hospital care. 

“This bill is about using our health care resources wisely,” Slatter said. “By updating how long records are kept, hospitals can spend less on storage and more on what really matters — treating patients and improving care.”  

SB 5239 takes effect July 27.