Arch Enterprises Offers Destruction of X-Ray Film

Recently, refining and recycling companies have questioned the definition of X-ray destruction in accordance with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, which was passed as part of the Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Arch Enterprises, Mexico, Mo., says it recently reviewed the policies set forth in the HITECH bill. According to the rules and regulations set forth by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and HITECH, X-ray film must be destroyed so that it cannot be reconstructed. While some recycling companies shred the X-ray film, precious metal refiners that recover silver do not have to shred it during the refining process, the company says.

"Many health care facilities that have X-ray film are now more concerned about the specifics of the destruction regulations since the government issued the HITECH Act," says Stacy Slater, national sales manager for Arch Enterprises. "The HITECH Act actually has very little to do with the X-ray film that precious metal refineries handle. It is more about how hospitals and clinics handle their digital patient information. As long as the X-ray film and patient information is destroyed in a manner to which it cannot be reconstructed and you receive all the necessary documentation of destruction, you are in compliance with the law,” she says. “Companies like Arch Enterprises destroy the X-ray film according to HIPAA regulations and refine the silver from the film without the added step of shredding the materials."

However, the company stresses that X-ray films still need to be handled in a timely manner and kept under lock and key, adding that companies should also ask for documentation of general liability and environmental insurance policies.

Arch Enterprises provides recovery services for scrap precious metals, including gold, platinum, silver, palladium, rhodium, iridium and ruthenium. Arch Enterprises performs extraction services for the photo, medical, dental and jewelry industries. The company also works with other industries to recover metals from old coins, flatware, jewelry and other decorative pieces. Chemical manufacturing and plating companies also use Arch Enterprises, which offers recycling services for metal-containing chemical catalysts.