What do regulations concerning medical records primarily control?

Regulations concerning medical records predominantly control how these records are to be maintained. This encompasses a variety of practices related to the creation, organization, retention, and overall integrity of medical records. Maintaining medical records involves ensuring they are accurate, up-to-date, and reliably reflect a patient's medical history. Additionally, regulations mandate that healthcare providers implement certain standards and practices to protect the confidentiality, security, and quality of the records.

By focusing on maintenance, these regulations ensure that records are not only preserved correctly but also accessible and manageable for healthcare professionals who rely on them for patient care. Proper maintenance of records is critical in safeguarding patient information and serves as a foundation for compliance with other aspects of healthcare law, including privacy and security obligations.

While storage, access, and destruction of records are also regulated areas, the overarching principle of maintaining medical records encapsulates the comprehensive responsibilities that healthcare entities must follow to guarantee both legal compliance and high-quality patient care.