Managing medical record release can feel like playing Tetris on expert mode—requests come piling down, patient volumes stack higher and just when you think you’ve cleared some space, another wave drops in. And with patient volumes increasing year over year, it’s no wonder HIM teams often feel like they’re in a constant game of catch-up.
Release of information touches nearly every aspect of your organization, from your revenue cycle to your patients’ satisfaction to your operations. And in a tech-driven, high-stakes healthcare landscape, getting patients their health information as fast, efficiently and accurately as possible matters more now than ever before.
If you’re questioning whether your current process can keep up—or wondering if it’s time to consider outside support—you’re not alone. This blog post is the first installment in our new series geared toward connecting you with your ideal release of information strategy.
Comparing In-House vs. External Vendors
When it comes to medical record release management, you generally have two options: maintaining an in-house team or outsourcing to a specialized vendor. The best choice for you depends on several factors, including your practice’s monthly request volume, the size of your organization and your HIM team’s resources.
An in-house approach requires you to keep a full release of information team on staff, which can be manageable for organizations with low request volumes. However, leaving release of information in-house can create more work for your HIM team, whose time could be reallocated to revenue-driving tasks. Managing medical record release in-house also puts the onus on you to stay current with complex and ever-changing regulations, meet strict deadlines and stay on top of request influxes all year round.
On the other hand, outsourcing to a specialized release of information vendor takes the bulk of the pressure off your team for fulfilling requests. A specialized vendor should be an expert at navigating the complexities of HIPAA and state-specific regulations with ample resources to manage backlogs and stay on top of legal changes. This can lead to greater efficiency (especially for larger organizations with higher request volumes), reduced overhead costs and a lower risk of non-compliance, allowing your staff to work at the top of their license and focus on other core HIM responsibilities.
In-House Medical Record Release Management
Managing medical record release in-house can feel like the natural choice if that’s what you’ve always done. You know and trust your team, and your team knows all the ins and outs of your organization. But when you have full control over the process, you’re also fully responsible for issues like staffing challenges, fluctuating volumes and keeping up with evolving regulations.
If your volumes are low and your team can stay on top of requests without much hassle, then keeping release of information in-house may in fact be the best choice for you. But if any of the following pain points resonate, it may be time to rethink that strategy:
- Your staff are overburdened: If your team is already feeling stretched thin from non-release of information tasks, adding medical record release management to their workload might lead to bottlenecks, backlogs and burnout.
- Your compliance practices are outdated: It can be hard to keep processes unified and documented across one location, let alone many. If staying on top of regulatory complexities often falls by the wayside, it may be time to get some outside support so your processes stay compliant.
- Complex requests create bottlenecks: Not all medical record requests are created equal. Handling legal subpoenas, third-party audits or particularly sensitive types of patient data requires specialized knowledge.
- Requests are taking too long to fulfill: With limited resources, internal teams may struggle to process requests quickly, which can impact patient satisfaction, provider coordination and even reimbursement timelines.
Advantages of Partnering with a Release of Information Vendor
There’s a common misconception that outsourcing means giving up control, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. The right partner the one that will give your team the tools to have more oversight and control.
Your ideal release of information partner will help you monitor key compliance metrics that are normally difficult, if not impossible, for internal teams to track on their own. They will also give you a method to check the status of any individual request, allowing your team to verify that you’re meeting all statutory deadlines and staying compliant with your state’s laws.
Outsourcing can also offer some other advantages; not just for your HIM team, but also for your patients and your bottom line.
| Benefits for your team | Benefits for your patients | Benefits for your bottom line |
| Reduced administrative burden: Freeing up your HIM or administrative staff from medical record duties allows them to focus on what matters most: patient care, regulatory priorities and revenue-generating tasks. Built-in compliance expertise: The right vendor doesn’t just manage your medical records—they also provide your team with regulatory guidance and updates as the legal landscape evolves (and it always does!). | Faster turnaround times: Outsourcing release of information can improve turnaround times since vendors have more resources and regimented processes to fulfill medical record requests. Improved patient experience: It’s no secret: when patients receive their records fast, they’re happier. Faster access to their health information allows for more efficient care and keeps everything moving along as it should. | Reduced costs: You know the cost of your employees but what about all the other overhead like benefits, fulfillment, collections, legal and more? Outsourcing eliminates this hidden cost center. Greater scalability: Vendors often follow well-documented, streamlined processes that are easy to implement across multiple locations, allowing you to stay on top of request volume regardless of sick days or time off or vacant roles. |
Choose Your Fighter: In-House or Outsourced Medical Records
Release of information looks different across many organization types and HIM teams, and there is no one-size-fits-all solution that will work for everyone.
While In-house teams can sometimes feel like the safer option, partnering with a release of information vendor can help relieve administrative strain, improve compliance and scale with fluctuating volumes—especially if your team is already stretched thin or navigating complex regulatory demands.
Ultimately, the best choice is the one that supports your HIM team’s long-term success, protects patient privacy and delivers the level of service your patients and staff expect. Take a step back, assess your current process, consider where you could be saving on release of information and decide what will set your team up for sustainability in the months and years ahead.
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