Finding the retention period for a record in the RRS

The two (2) records retention schedules for Mass General Brigham are available as attachments to the Mass General Brigham Records and Information Management (RIM) Policy.

• To view a records retention schedule:

1. Click Mass General Brigham Records and Information Management (RIM) Policy.
2. Scroll down to the Attachments section.
3. Click the link for the spreadsheet you need, Admin or Institutional.
4. When prompted, open or save the file.

• To find a clinical record type:

1. Click the PHC Clinical RRS Text Unwrapped tab on the bottom of the spreadsheet.
2. Scrolling down, find the category for the record. Categories are listed alphabetically in column A and highlighted with a  rust-colored background .
3. Check for the record type you want in the record class descriptions (column C) under the category.
4. The retention period for the record type in noted in column D.

• For some types of records, the retention period is triggered by the occurrence of a defined event, such as Active or Report, and noted as trigger+retention period. For example, a the retention period for a report could start when it's finalized and end ten years after that date.
• For the exact definition of a triggering event for records where this applies, check column D for the record.

• To find a non-clinical record type:

1. Click the PHC Clinical RRS Text Unwrapped tab on the bottom of the spreadsheet.
2. Press CTRL+F to open the Find popup.
3. In the Find what filed, type the word to search for.
4. If there are no other fields, click the Options >> button.
5. Click to select Values from the Look in drop-down list.
6. Start your search:

• To go through each cell that contains what you typed, one at a time, click the Find Next button.
• To display a list of all cells that contain your text, click the Find All button. Scroll to the right to view the Value column, and then click line for the item you want to go to that cell.

• Check the Retention Period column for your record type.

• For some types of records, the retention period is triggered by the occurrence of a defined event, such as Active or Report, and noted as trigger+retention period. For example, a the retention period for a report could start when it's finalized and end ten years after that date.
• For the exact definition of a the starting event for records where this applies, check Trigger Event to Start Retention Period column for the record.