Configuring Data Retention for Deleted Records

Overview

When patients, entries, or images are deleted in Dermi Atlas Professional, the behavior depends on the Data Deletion Policy configured in Dermi Atlas Manager. For the Recoverable and Standard deletion policies, deleted records are retained for a configurable period before permanent removal, providing a safety window for recovery. For the Permanent deletion policy, all data is permanently removed immediately. Account deletion is handled separately and does not delete clinical data, as described in the Account Deletion section below.

This article explains the deletion levels, how to recover deleted records, how to configure the retention period, and how expired records are removed automatically.

Deletion Policy Options

The Data Deletion Policy determines how patient data, entries, and images are handled when deleted. The deletion policy is configured in Dermi Atlas Manager under Administration, in the Settings group, and applies to all deletion operations performed by every member of the team within Dermi Atlas Professional. The Administration area is locked at every launch and is opened with the admin passphrase held on the host computer, described in Atlas Manager Administration.

Recoverable

Retains all data, stored files, and activity logs for the configured retention period. Deleted patients, entries, and images can be fully recovered from within Dermi Atlas Professional during this window. This policy is recommended for practices with regulatory compliance requirements, as it preserves a complete audit trail alongside the deleted data.

Standard (Default)

Retains deleted data and stored files for the configured retention period. Activity logs associated with deleted items are removed at the time of deletion, while a single deletion event is logged. Deleted patients, entries, and images can still be recovered. This is the default deletion policy.

Permanent

Immediately and permanently removes all data, stored files, and activity logs. Deleted items cannot be recovered. This policy is appropriate when permanent, irrecoverable deletion is required.

Recovering Deleted Records

When the Recoverable or Standard deletion policy is used, deleted records can be recovered from within Dermi Atlas Professional before the retention period expires.

Patient Recovery

Deleted patients can be recovered from the Deleted Records page, accessible from the sidebar in Dermi Atlas Professional. Each deleted patient displays the deletion date and a countdown to permanent removal. Recovery requires typing a confirmation phrase.

Illustrative demo with synthetic data. Learn more

When a patient is recovered, all entries and images that were deleted as part of that patient deletion (cascade-deleted) are also restored. Entries or images that were individually deleted before the patient deletion retain their deleted status and must be recovered separately.

If a new patient has been created with the same unique identifier as a deleted patient, recovery of the deleted patient is blocked until the conflict is resolved.

Individual Record Recovery

Individually deleted records can be recovered from the Deleted Items drawer on the patient detail page. The drawer groups them into Entries, Images, Zones, Sessions, and Lesions sections, showing only the sections that currently hold recoverable items. Recovery is available only while the parent patient is active (not deleted). Each item displays its retention countdown.

Illustrative demo with synthetic data. Learn more

Illustrative demo with synthetic data. Learn more

Account Deletion

Clinical records on a deployment belong to the practice team, so deleting an account removes the person and leaves the practice's records in place. Patient records, entries, images, stored image files, and the clinical activity log all stay with the team, and the entries the departing member wrote keep naming that account as the actor. The account is dropped from the assignment list of every patient it was assigned to, and its own account and authentication history is marked to expire at the end of the configured retention period.

Ending a person's access without deleting their account is done in two ways: the license owner removes the member in Dermi Portal, which takes effect at the deployment's next check-in, or the account is disabled under Administration in Dermi Atlas Manager, which takes effect immediately. Neither deletes clinical data. See Inviting and Managing Team Members and Atlas Manager Administration.

The one action that removes clinical data from a whole deployment is the Deployment Purge in Dermi Atlas Manager. It permanently deletes every patient record, every stored file, and the clinical activity log while keeping the accounts, the license, and the deployment settings, and it is confirmed with a typed phrase and the admin passphrase. There is no software mechanism within Dermi Atlas Professional to reverse it. As the data controller, the practice is responsible for maintaining system backups through Dermi Atlas Manager; restoring from a full system backup is the only recovery path afterwards.

Default Retention Period

By default, deleted records are retained for 120 months (10 years) before becoming eligible for permanent removal. This default applies to:

• Deleted patient records
• Deleted entries and images
• Deleted user accounts
• Associated activity logs

Configuring the Retention Period

The retention period can be adjusted through Dermi Atlas Manager.

Accessing Retention Settings

1. Open Dermi Atlas Manager on the host computer.
2. Open Administration, unlock it with the admin passphrase, and go to the Settings group.
3. Locate the Data Retention Period section.

Setting the Retention Period

1. Enter the desired retention period in months.
2. The valid range is 1 to 600 months (1 month to 50 years).
3. Click Apply Changes to save the new retention period. On narrow windows, this button is labeled Save.

The interface displays the retention period in both numeric months and human-readable format (for example, "2 years, 3 months").

Important Considerations

When configuring or changing the retention period, be aware of the following behaviors:

How Retention Period Changes Are Applied

When the retention period is changed, the new setting is applied retroactively to all existing deleted records. The expiration date for each record is recalculated based on when the record was originally deleted plus the new retention period.

Example: If a patient was deleted on January 1, 2026 with a retention period of 120 months, and the retention period is later reduced to 6 months, the expiration date for that record will be recalculated to July 1, 2026. If the new expiration date has already passed, the record will be permanently removed automatically.

Reducing the Retention Period

When the retention period is reduced, Dermi Atlas Manager requires a confirmation before saving the change. This is because reducing the retention period may cause existing deleted (recoverable) records to expire immediately if their recalculated expiration date has already passed, making those records permanently unrecoverable.

Targeted Record Removal

Situations that require removing specific deleted records before their scheduled expiration, without changing the global retention period, are handled together with Dermi support.

How Deleted Records Are Retained

When the Recoverable or Standard deletion policy is used, deleted records remain recoverable until their retention period ends. Each deletion is recorded with the date it took place and the user who performed it, and every recoverable record displays a countdown to its permanent removal.

Stored images remain available alongside the records they belong to, so a recovered patient, entry, or image returns with its photographs intact. Images are only permanently removed when the Permanent deletion policy is used or when a deleted record reaches the end of its retention period.

Automatic Removal

Once the retention period for a deleted record elapses, the record and its stored image files are removed automatically and can no longer be recovered. Automatic removal is included in every Dermi Atlas Professional installation and requires no configuration.

Data Retention and Compliance

The retention period feature supports compliance with data protection regulations such as HIPAA and PIPEDA. Consider the following when setting the retention period:

• Regulatory requirements may mandate minimum retention periods for medical records
• Practice policies may require specific retention durations
• Storage capacity should be considered for long retention periods

Consult a compliance officer or legal counsel to determine the appropriate retention period for the practice.

Related Resources

• Audit Logging Configuration for understanding the audit trail and deletion logging
• Managing Patients for patient record creation and management
• Atlas Manager Administration for the admin passphrase, the deployment-wide settings, and the deployment purge