Document Scanning Company

When it comes to the subject electronic medical records (EMRs) comes up, smaller medical offices often think there is no need to make the transition. Either they think it is too expensive, too time consuming, or too confusing. Others worry about how it will affect the jobs of their office staff, or they prefer to carry a paper chart instead of a laptop. There are plenty of reasons to delay the inevitable. Now that Healthcare Reform is here, a system-wide transition to electronic health records isn’t far behind. Many hospitals are already moving from their old system of EMRs to a new system that will be compatible with universal EHRs. It won’t be long before every doctors office, small or large, is expected to make their patient records available in a digital format. But large healthcare systems are not the only ones who realize that digital medical record scanning is a necessity. Patients are also demanding this technology be offered by their providers. It is much easier for patients to communicate with their doctors when all the information they need is easily accessible. EMR scanning also make it easier for doctors’ offices to track billing, recognize healthcare trends, and keep test results with a patient’s file where they belong. As a medical professional, it makes sense to keep up with the latest technology. Not only will it inspire more trust from your patients, it will minimize overhead costs for your practice. The process of scanning documents and medical charts may be tedious and time consuming, but it can be done. Many small medical offices outsource the document scanning and storage to a team of professionals who can work on-site or at a separate facility. Most document scanning companies are also equipped to help small medical offices make the transition into a new EMR system.

With so many “paperless office” programs being sold by software retailers, it may be tempting to think of document scanning as a “do-it-yourself” project. This may be true for smaller offices and individually owned businesses, but for most companies it is unrealistic. Remember, going “paperless” involves a lot more than just the scanning of paper documents. Each digitized document must then be categorized and made searchable in a database, where it will be stored for future retrieval. Some systems are set up to add administrative rights to each document, requiring a user name and password for access. Other systems are purely web-based, allowing for easy access to office documents from any computer. If your office works with customer financial, health or legal information, then certain guidelines must be followed to ensure the privacy and security of this information. Then, there is the question of what to do with all those paper files after they’ve been scanned. As you can see, the entire process is very tedious and could be an enormous drain on the resources of a small business. Hiring a professional document scanning service makes the conversion process much more manageable. In most cases, you will be able to ship records directly to an off-site facility, but some companies prefer on-site document scanning using a mobile set-up. Either way, the team will use the best high-speed scanners available, making it possible for them to scan thousands, or even millions, of records within a reasonable time frame. Once scanned, your documents will be provided on CDs, or directly indexed on your document management system. Converting your paper documents can take time and money, but ultimately it will make your business more efficient and your information more secure. A professional document scanning company will take the guesswork out of the process and help you go “paperless” much faster than doing it yourself.

With so many document scanning programs now on the market, it may seem relatively simple to “go paperless” in a traditional paper office. But if your office happens to be a law firm or healthcare facility, then document scanning and indexing will be a major undertaking. As more companies start to use document scanning software on their own; they are finding it to be a huge drain on resources and complicated set-up for untrained office staff. Here are three reasons why you should consider a professional document scanning service instead: Less Expensive. Practically every law firm or medical practice will approach the “paperless” project by purchasing a document scanner. However these machines can generally scan only scan 1,000 pages per day. Purchasing a high volume scanner will be a lot more expensive, and the people in charge of the project must be paid to pull staples, archive documents, index the scanned documents and run the scanner. A professional document scanning company will base their price on a lower price-per-page which means the total price will be based on the number of converted documents instead of the hours spent on the project. Faster turnaround. Since document scanning is relatively new, it is difficult for companies to gauge the amount of time it should take employees to finish the operation. Instead of letting the project drag on forever, a document scanning service will responsibly deliver results in a pre-determined timeframe. Since they are not paid by the hour, the job will be completed as quickly as possible and it will be done right. Better Quality. Outsourced document scanning means that a team of experienced professionals will personally manage the project. They will ensure that the image quality and accuracy of data are given the utmost attention. Businesses should think twice before investing a lot of time, resources and energy in a document scanning project. A team of professionals will make the job a lot more cost-effective and quick.

Trends suggest that all 80% of all business applications are now Internet based, so it is more important than ever to implement an online document management strategy in order to remain competitive. But with so many document scanning options and digital image storage companies out there, selecting a vendor can be a bit confusing. An electronic imaging system includes the use of software, hardware, telecommunications, maintenance, supplies, people and training. It also requires that top senior management buy into the project and support the cost involved, as well as new set of policies required to maintain security. With electronic document storage, business systems will now cross departmental lines where they never have before, and change the way many employees do their jobs. For these reasons, businesses need to create a clear plan of action before going “paperless”. This plan should provide the document scanning vendor with a clear set of priorities and specifications, detailing the full scope and expectations for the project. Consider the following factors when choosing a document scanning company: You will want to work with a company who is located near your geographic location, because they may be archiving your paper documents in a physical location nearby. In addition to price, be sure to check on the financial stability and reputation of the company. Don’t be afraid to ask for references. You will want to work with the vendor to develop a timeline for certain stages of your project, including scanning, storage, training, accessibility and archiving. Find out how and when your employees will be trained on how to access the electronic document storage site, and be sure they will be able to implement the necessary security measures to keep confidential documents out of the wrong hands. Finally, you may hear about many do-it-yourself options for document scanning, which may sound tempting, but remember, document imaging projects involve a number of challenges. Outsourcing to an experienced document imaging vendor will have the in-house resources and expertise to make your project a top priority and ensure it is done right.

A surprising and somewhat dismaying fact is that even in 2009, an alarming number of hospitals and private medical practices are mired in antiquated and often (sometimes tragically) dangerous methods of medical record storage: methods that for all intents and purposes are indistinguishable from the medical document storage practices of eighteenth century physicians. Ironically, many of these same medical practices regularly utilize cutting edge diagnostic and treatment technologies that didn’t even exist last year but somehow that same forward thinking approach to quality healthcare is absent when it comes to tracking their patients’ medical records. Why? It is difficult to say. Perhaps some healthcare providers are unaware of the new technologies involved in medical records scanning even though the “new” technologies have existed for years. Or perhaps they are aware that the digital document imaging industry exists but they are unaware of the fact that it is a substantially more secure way to store and maintain medical records. (Some healthcare providers are even under the false impression that paper records are superior to online document storage with regard to physical damage caused by fire, flood, theft, spills, misplacement, and privacy. The truth, however, is quite the opposite). Other medical practices are concerned about the cost of digitized document storage. But the fact is that the costs involved with paper storage far surpass those of digital storage and document scanning. Perhaps the biggest cost savings involved in making the switch to digitized medical record keeping is directly connected to the time wasted searching for and maintaining paper records in contrast to the simple click of a mouse needed to retrieve digitized records. Another rationale for some medical practices’ reliance upon paper records is quite similar to the explanation given by the last generation of bookkeepers that wouldn’t (or couldn’t) make the transition from paper balance sheets to computerized accounting programs: they were locked into their old ways of doing things. And now they are retired or otherwise out of a job. Similarly, some doctors are creatures of habit afraid of making the change to digital document imaging just because it is new. But as those same doctors ought to know, indeed change can be difficult but alas, it can be good for you too. Contacting a reliable and helpful document scanning company such as scantronix will aide healthcare professionals in taking the first step toward efficiency and reliability.