How long to keep malpractice ins policies?

[Chaya, ASN, RN]

I'm off work for a while and rattling around the house alone for a few days; I took a GOOD LOOK at the clutter level around here so I'm trying to unbury myself from the mounds and mounds of paperwork filling every file cabinet and piled on every surface. It was fine when I didn't have to look at it but now I'm doing some long-overdue spring cleaning so I can breath around here!

Anyhow-I'm throwing out paid receipts that are years old and it's truly frightening what I'm unearthing. But I don't want to get too zealous and pitch something I'll wish I hadn't.

Specifically- how long do most of you keep your malpractice insurance policies if you have them? I was going to throw out any older than a year or two but it occurred to me the I've heard of nurses being sued years after the fact. I do keep the checks (or "cyber-checks) I use to pay the policy but as for the actual policy, I'd hate to think I could get jerked around because I no longer had proof that I was covered in, say, 2002 or 2003...

Any thoughts or other suggestions on taming the paperwork monster? (I think I just need to move every couple of years and start over?)

Chaya

[TazziRN, RN]

Depends on what the statute of limitations are in your state. If a pt can't sue after a year, then you're safe to throw it out.

[clee1]

Tazzi has it right; it depends on the amount of time your state allows tort lawsuits to be filed. Most are one to 2 years; a few are 3 years.

[nicuRN2007]

But in some cases, it's within 2 years of a patient discovering malpractice.