Don’t Let the Computer Eat the E-mail:

Electronic Document Preservation Under the Coming Sarbanes-Oxley Requirements

(as published by ABA Health eSource)

The hospital’s chief compliance officer reclines in her chair, finally, as the digital readout on her desk clock flips to 9:30 p.m. She clears her mind of the latest jumble of acronyms which rule her professional life – JCAHO, HIPAA, EMTALA and CMS,1 among others – and reaches to power down her computer for the night. As her hand moves the mouse, she hears the telltale chime of a new e-mail. Shrugging, she clicks and opens it. It’s from the chief financial officer,asking her whether she has completed the policy to preserve e-mails concerning the hospital’s financial audit reports, pursuant to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 or, as it’s not-so-affectionately known, “SOX.” She shakes her head, unable to handle yet another regulatory acronym which she knows will stand for many overtime hours, and writes back, “Which e-mails?” He answers, “That’s for you to figure out. Good night.”

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