Medical Records Shredding

Get a free quote and learn more about our medical shredding
services in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin.

To modernize and regulate the flow of healthcare information, Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996. HIPAA stipulates how personally identifiable information should be stored and disposed of by covered entities individuals, organizations, and agencies that pertain to healthcare. A covered entity falls into one of three categories:

Health Care Providers

This list includes but is not limited to: Doctors, clinics, dentists, psychologists, nursing homes, and pharmacies.

Health Plans

Health insurance companies, HMOs, company health plans, government programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

Health Care Clearinghouses

Third-party entities between healthcare providers and patients; billing services, health management information systems, etc.

According to HIPAA, covered entities must closely monitor how they share patients’ information, as well as who they share it with. However, HIPAA also states that these covered entities must also avoid, “incidental use or disclosure,” of patients’ protected health information (PHI), including during the disposal process.

To get more information about what HIPAA requires, email or call MedCycle today.

What is Protected
Health Information?


Protected health information refers to any sensitive data used to identify a patient. This includes demographic data, social security numbers, phone numbers, email addresses, etc.

HIPAA requires covered entities to hold this information for six years, but Texas law (which takes precedence over HIPAA) says doctors’ offices must retain this information for seven years and ten years for hospitals.

Need HIPAA-Compliant Document Shredding?

How To Dispose of Medical Documents?


Once the time has come for documents to be properly destroyed, paper shredding is typically the most reliable and convenient means for medical facilities to do so. HIPAA also includes guides for how records should be handled once they are no longer needed, which means rendering the records indecipherable and unable to be reconstructed.

To achieve this, MedCycle offers both on-site and off-site document shredding services, depending on your needs. On-site shredding, also known as mobile shredding, involves an industrial shredder coming to your location to shred your documents. This option allows for witnesses to be present and verify that the documents are properly destroyed.

Off-site document shredding service is another cost-effective option available for medical facilities. This process involves your documents being secured in locked bins and transported to a facility equipped with an industrial-grade, cross-cutting shredder. After the shredding process, you will receive a Certificate of Destruction (COD) to document the disposal for your compliance records.

No matter which option you choose, using a document shredding service like MedCycle means you are complying with HIPAA guidelines. Reach out to us today for a free quote and more information on how our services can help you.

Trustworthy Medical Records Shredding Services

Why Choose MedCycle for Your
Medical Document Shredding


MedCycle takes pride in meeting partners on their terms; Whether you need on-site or off-site shredding services, MedCycle is ready and willing to help. We provide HIPAA-compliant medical document shredding to a variety of facilities across the Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin areas, including:

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Hospitals
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Medical clinics
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Pharmaceutical clients
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Dentists
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Physicians
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Urgent care centers
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Laboratories
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Nursing homes
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Funeral homes
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Home health agencies
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Veterinary clinics
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Animal hospitals
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Surgery centers
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Police departments
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Fire departments
We practice cross-cut paper shredding to ensure all documents meet HIPAA’s requirements of being unreadable. Additionally, we also train your staff to understand and practice HIPAA compliance, so you can be rest assured that your facility is abiding by the established guidelines at every level. Call or email us today for a free medical document shredding quote!

MedCycle offers partners access to our online compliance portal, a comprehensive tool for facilities to access information to protect patients, employees, and themselves. Through the online compliance portal, you get access to safety data sheets (SDS), a custom safety plan builder, a library of federal regulations, plus much more.


To learn more about our online compliance portal and how it can help your operation, contact MedCycle today.