Closing or Suspending a Physiotherapy Practice - What Happens to the Medical Records

Everything has been written about opening a practice - almost nothing about closing one. Yet the reasons vary: relocation, a staff job at a clinic, a parenting break, a contract with another employer, or simply the decision that running a business is not for you. The problem is that a physiotherapy practice is a healthcare entity and cannot be shut down the way you close an online store. Most obligations concern the medical records, which must be kept for years after the business ends - the rules are covered in detail in the article on archiving medical records; here we walk through the whole closing process step by step.

You will also learn how suspension differs from liquidation, what to report in RPWDL, how to inform patients and why your liability policy should not end the day you lock the door.

Suspension or liquidation - decide first

Before you start deregistering, work out what you actually need.

Suspending the business

If the break is meant to be temporary (a trip abroad, parental leave, a trial staff job), suspending the business in CEIDG is simpler and reversible. Keep two things in mind:

• No services during the suspension - a suspended business means no treating patients, including "as a favor".
• Records duties continue - suspension does not release you from safely storing medical records and protecting patient data.

Report the change in RPWDL too - the register provides for recording that the practice has ceased providing services for the suspension period.

Liquidating the practice

If the decision is final, the full procedure awaits: removing the practice from RPWDL, closing or updating the business in CEIDG, tax settlements and - most importantly - settling the fate of the medical records.

Medical records - the most important duty when closing

Medical records do not disappear along with the practice. Retention periods follow from the Patient Rights Act - as a rule 20 years from the end of the calendar year of the last entry, with separate periods for some categories. When closing, you must ensure the records survive that period safely and remain available to those entitled.

Who takes over the records

You have several paths:

• Transfer to the entity taking over your activities - if another entity takes over the practice (e.g. you sell it), the successor takes the records. We described the buyer's side in the article on taking over a physiotherapy practice.
• Continued storage by you - as the former provider you remain responsible: storage conditions, confidentiality and handling access requests.
• A contract with an archiving company - a professional archive stores records under a contract that must guarantee confidentiality, integrity and access for the entitled; for electronic records, formats and data migration come into play.

Two scenarios are unacceptable, though they sadly happen: hauling binders to a garage "for storage" without any safeguards, and destroying records before the retention period ends.

EMR and IT systems

If your records are electronic, export the complete data in a readable, shareable format before terminating the contract with your system provider. Agree with the provider on: the deadline, the export format, confirmation of permanent deletion from their servers after handover, and how patient requests will be handled in the transition period. Losing access to the system must not mean losing access to the records.

Formalities step by step

Step	What to do	Where
1	Decide: suspension or liquidation	-
2	Inform patients mid-therapy and hand over recommendations	The practice, direct contact
3	File for removal of the practice (or report cessation)	RPWDL
4	Suspend or close the business	CEIDG
5	Secure and hand over the medical records	Successor / archive / own storage
6	Export EMR data and terminate IT contracts	System providers
7	Terminate processing agreements and collect deletion confirmations	Processors
8	Settle taxes, the cash register, contributions	Tax office, ZUS
9	Arrange liability cover for the period after closing	Insurer
10	Archive company records (HR, accounting)	Under separate retention rules

The order can flex, but the principle is one: patients and records first, registers next, tax matters last.

Patients mid-therapy - how to end responsibly

Closing a practice must not leave patients "mid-series". A good ending includes:

• Advance notice - the earlier patients know, the easier it is to plan finishing their therapy.
• Completion or a continuation plan - a summary in the records, home-exercise recommendations, possibly a note that the patient can continue therapy elsewhere.
• Information about access to records - patients must know where and how to obtain copies of their records after the practice closes. Leave this information on your website and visibly at the premises through the notice period of your lease.
• Settling prepayments - refunds for unused treatment packages with a simple confirmation of the adjustment.

Example: Joanna was closing her practice because of a move abroad. Three months ahead she informed her patients, completed the treatment series in progress, and handed the paper records to an archiving company under a contract, publishing on her website and in CEIDG where patients could request copies. A year later one patient needed records for a disability assessment - he received them from the archive within days, without contacting Joanna. That is the model scenario: duties fulfilled, and the former owner does not have to stand guard over binders.

GDPR does not end with the last patient

As long as you store the records, you remain the data controller. In practice this means:

• Updating the records of processing activities - the activity "keeping medical records" becomes "archiving records of a closed business".
• Handling patient rights - access and copy requests must be handled after closing too.
• Terminating processing agreements - scheduler provider, hosting, accounting office: end the contracts and collect confirmations of data deletion or return.
• Secure destruction of media - drives, USB sticks and old computers with patient data are destroyed or wiped beyond recovery.
• Disposal after the deadline - once the retention period passes, destroy the records in a way that prevents patient identification.

Company records - HR, accounting, OSH

Beyond medical records, a practice accumulates company documents with their own retention periods: employee personnel files (kept for the period set by labour law, counted from the end of the year employment ended), accounting and tax documents (until tax liabilities become time-barred), OSH documentation (at least as long as employment-related claims are possible) and contracts with landlords, suppliers and insurers (at least until all obligations are settled).

A practical tip: when closing, make a single inventory of all document categories with their retention end dates. A few years from now you will not have to guess what can be destroyed and what must still wait in the archive.

Liability cover after closing - the thing almost everyone forgets

A patient claim can surface long after therapy ends - limitation periods run for years. Mandatory liability insurance covers events from the cover period, but a claim may arrive after the practice has closed. Before cancelling the policy, discuss cover for the period after ceasing the business with your insurer. We described the scope of mandatory cover in the article on physiotherapist liability insurance.

Frequently asked questions

What should I do with medical records after closing a physiotherapy practice?

The records must be kept for the statutory period - as a rule 20 years from the end of the year of the last entry. You can transfer them to the entity taking over the practice's activities, store them yourself under conditions guaranteeing confidentiality, or contract a professional archive. Patients must know where they can obtain copies of their records.

Does suspending the business release me from records duties?

No. During suspension you provide no services, but you remain responsible for safely storing the medical records, protecting patient data and handling access requests. You report the suspension in CEIDG, and the cessation of services in RPWDL.

Can I destroy the records if I am closing the practice for good?

Not before the retention period ends. Destroying records early violates the medical records regulations and patients' rights. Disposal is possible only after the statutory period and must be done in a way that prevents identifying the patient.

Do I still need liability insurance after closing the practice?

Check this with your insurer before cancelling the policy. Patient claims can arrive long after the business ends, and liability for events from the operating period does not vanish on the day of deregistration. Establish how your policy treats claims reported after the cover ends and whether you need an additional solution.

CTA: Putting your practice's documentation in order - for a closure, transformation or handover? The FizjoReady TARCZA package contains medical records circulation and archiving procedures plus a complete set of GDPR documents to organize the process. See FizjoReady packages →

Related articles:
- Archiving medical records in a physiotherapy practice
- Taking over a physiotherapy practice - what to check
- RPWDL registration for physiotherapists - 2026 instructions
- Physiotherapist liability insurance - cost and obligation 2026