Film management and custody: current and future medicolegal issues

Filmless, seamless, interactive imaging departments at health centers and freestanding image centers will prompt development of legal and administrative regulations that may be universally applicable and enforced. However, until such time, issues related to custodianship and transferral of imaging studies will remain a local issue, governed by laws and advisories that have far-reaching legal implications. Familiarity with the rationale and particular rules governing a specific locale should facilitate the adoption of risk-management strategies that satisfy the interests of all parties involved in patient care.