Hospital steps in to rescue abandoned medical records

Hospital chief executive Christine Schuster said yesterday that Emerson will take possession of the files, contact patients about how to retrieve their personal information, and help them find another doctor.

"We feel like it is our community and we should take care of our people," Schuster said.

A Lynn storage company - hired to clean out Dr. Ronald T. Moody's office after he was evicted in September - was scheduled to discard the records on April 8 and auction the remaining equipment. Moody, 62, who state regulators said had let his medical license lapse, ran a private practice. He was not affiliated with Emer son Hospital.

Diana Adams Woodruff, a Northborough resident who had been one of Moody's patients for more than a decade, was relieved to hear that her records will be salvaged. She had been trying for months to find them.

"I sort of gave up and then thought I really should get them," she said. "I drove over [to the office] and it had closed. There was no sign and it was obvious the office was cleared."

"He was a great, terrific doctor," she said. "He took a lot of time with people. I felt like he really knew me. I am just sorry the practice disappeared."

Moody could not be reached and did not respond to written requests for comment.

The case exposes a gap in state law about who owns abandoned medical records. Many of Moody's former patients had no idea that their records were slated for destruction: None had been notified, nor does the law require such notice. No state agency has the responsibility of tracking down patients or retrieving their abandoned records if their physician closes shop.

After reading about the case in the Globe, dozens of Moody's far-flung patients contacted Jim Appleyard, owner of the storage company that was hired by Moody's former landlord to clean out the office and store the items for six months, as required by law.

"I couldn't imagine anything as good as Emerson doing this. This is fabulous," Appleyard said.

The idea of dumping hundreds of patients' files without them knowing about it had bothered Appleyard. Unable to find Moody, Appleyard contacted the state Board of Registration in Medicine and pleaded with the state to take the records. Board officials told Appleyard they didn't have the authority, budget, or storage space to take the files.

Board spokesman Russell Aims yesterday said the agency's lawyers suggested Emerson officials get a court order to take legal possession of the files, which the hospital has agreed to do.

Kay Lazar can be reached at klazar@globe.com.