96-31205. Interagency Committee for Medical Records (ICMR) Videotaped Documentation of Surgical Procedures and Other Episodes of Care

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 237 (Monday, December 9, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 64908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-31205]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

Interagency Committee for Medical Records (ICMR) Videotaped 
Documentation of Surgical Procedures and Other Episodes of Care

AGENCY: General Services Administration.

ACTION: Guideline on videotaped documentation of surgical procedures 
and other episodes of care.

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SUMMARY: Based on the assumptions listed below, members of the 
Interagency Committee on Medical Records (ICMR) voted to approve the 
following guidelines which we recommend for adoption throughout the 
federal health care system:
    The Interagency Committee on Medical Records (ICMR) recommends a 
uniform approach for the videotaping of surgical procedures and other 
episodes of care: the patient must provide written consent before an 
episode of care is videotaped (except for abuse or neglect cases); 
there must be usual written documentation of the episode of care; and 
any permanent video images should be destroyed after written 
documentation is complete. The provider should indicate in his or her 
final documentation whether or not the image was destroyed. Exceptions 
to the prohibition against retaining videotapes may be permitted when 
videotapes are required for a specific interval for a specific reason 
(such as documentation of procedures for board certification or 
documentation of abuse or neglect). Any agency which chooses to keep 
images on file for educational purposes should have a standard 
operating procedure or policy on how the images will be maintained. 
This policy or procedure should be reviewed periodically.

Assumptions

    Storage--Preservation of bulky videotapes imposes significant space 
requirements. Duration of storage of videotaped images is not yet 
defined by most federal activities, but the Department of Veterans 
Affairs must store all medical records for 75 years.
    Technology--As technology changes, recovery of video images may 
require equipment which is no longer available.
    Medicolegal--Whether a videotape of a procedure or consultation 
becomes part of the patient's medical record is not well defined. 
However, according to anecdotal reports, if videotapes are available 
for some patients but not for all, absence of a videotape may create 
the perception of purposeful destruction of evidence.
    Education--If a case is unusual or otherwide holds some special 
educational value, videotaping may be justifiable on educational 
grounds. If a case does not hold educational value and there is no 
legitimate medical reason to videotape (i.e., there is no benefit to 
the patient), then videotaping is probably not justifiable.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this guideline. Comments should refer to the guideline by name and 
should be sent to: CDR Patricia Buss, MC, USN: Code 32--Health Policy; 
Bureau of Medicine and Surgery; 2300 E Street, NW; Washington, DC 
20372-5300.

    Dated: November 19, 1996.
CDR Patricia Buss, MC, USN,
Chairperson, Interagency Committee on Medical Records.
[FR Doc. 96-31205 Filed 12-6-96; 8:45 am]
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