Boy, I could argue this medical records things both ways. My strongest instincts are that medical records of living individuals and/or their descendants are still around to litigate are probably not such a very good idea at all. Unless permissions are granted, you could joly well be in a bit of a sticky wicket. You may not be familiar with the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act of 1996. There are links in the Topics section of my employment website, but here are a few more. This could factor into what you're considering. http://www.hipaadvisory.com/regs/HIPAAprimer1.htm WHAT IS HIPAA? The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (August 21), Public Law 104-191, which amends the Internal Revenue Service Code of 1986. Also known as the Kennedy-Kassebaum Act. More specifically, HIPAA calls for: 1. Standardization of electronic patient health, administrative and financial data 2. Unique health identifiers for individuals, employers, health plans and health care providers 3. Security standards protecting the confidentiality and integrity of "individually identifiable health information," past, present or future. The bottom line: sweeping changes in most healthcare transaction and administrative information systems. WHO IS AFFECTED? All healthcare organizations. This includes all health care providers, even 1-physician offices, health plans, employers, public health authorities, life insurers, clearinghouses, billing agencies, information systems vendors, service organizations, and universities. http://www.hipaadvisory.com/ http://www.hipaa-iq.com/ ===== Indigo Nights [log in to unmask] Looking for a job? Try: Check out the REVISED Got Links, your one-stop portal http://victorian.fortunecity.com/stanmer/414 Updated 02/14/02 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better http://health.yahoo.com ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).