Document Scanning Blog

Medical offices were some of the first businesses to embrace the concept of document scanning; primarily because of how much paperwork is involved in patient care. The need for archived charts and the advent of HIPAA privacy laws have made going “paperless” a lot more complex for medical offices than any other type of business. Initially, the ideal form of document scanning resulted in an electronic medical record (EMR), which basically transferred information from a paper chart into a digital record. Patients with extensive medical histories and multiple doctors started purchasing their own EMR software to manage prescriptions, drug interactions and test results from a home computer. While there is still a use for EMRs in smaller practices, they will ultimately be replaced by the electronic health record (EHR). According to Accenture, almost 60 percent of U.S. physicians in small practices intend to purchase an EMR / EHR system within the next two years. The biggest reason for this change is recent legislation, which includes federal penalties for non-adoption. The recently passed health care reform legislation will provide more funding for medical institutions to integrate their patient records into EHRs. Many people still confuse EMRs and EHRs, but they are not the same. An EMR is designed to be used by one institution or medical office to manage patient charts and other patient-related documents. EHRs are an extension of this record that is accessible, on a limited basis, by multiple institutions, specialists, insurance companies and patients. Hiring a professional document scanning company is the best way to transfer patient information into EMRs and EHRs. The documents will be professionally scanned and indexed into a patient EMR database, where the electronic charts can then be managed and manipulated further by medical office staff. Because this process can be lengthy and expensive, using a document scanning company is highly recommended.

Have you ever wondered how anything got done in the business world before the introduction of the computer? Remember when secretaries would spend half of their day at the photocopy machine, busying themselves with duplicating interoffice memos and sending them off in interoffice envelopes? It is truly amazing how much was accomplished when the flow of information dripped slowly through an organization, rather than the rapid-fire speed of email. With all the technology used to manage the distribution of data throughout an organization, today we know a lot about more about business processes. Thanks to the gradual implementation of online document management systems, companies are also using this technology to employ workflow systems that analyze and recommend improvements in productivity, customer service and quality control. Often packaged together with a document imaging application, workflow systems can be used to define and control each step of the business process. Workflow systems can work in many ways, but each is designed to follow an electronic document as it travels throughout the various departments and individual “desks” of employees. For example, the sales department might receive a purchase order, which must first go to sales, then to billing and production. Later, it will be accessed by an accounts receivable clerk, who mark the invoice as paid and sign off on it. The importance of tracking documents throughout the workflow of an organization is to develop more efficient and cost-effective ways of moving documents through the system. As each employee signs off on the document, it is recorded by the workflow system. Ultimately, if a company can reduce the number of steps that need to be taken or empower others to approve it, that companies productivity can dramatically improve over time.

Before an office or company can go “paperless” it must first define its goals for what it wants to achieve through document management. For some smaller offices, it is just a simple matter of eliminating paper, cutting back on wasted space, and coming up with a more effective way of managing confidential information. For larger sized companies, document management can mean an enterprise-wide solution that incorporates every aspect of their business, from financial planning to automated work flow management. As companies begin to utilize electronic document management, it is important to recognize the distinction between a document and a record. Documents are kept in a digital format that is “set aside” as evidence, making it impossible to alter or change. While a document can be retrieved, emailed or printed, it cannot be altered or changed in any way. However, the same electronic document can also be entered into an operational area for record-keeping, where it can become part of an interactive and continuously changing environment. Electronic records are dynamic documents that can be manipulated and edited on a regular basis with document scanning. For example, with electronic medical records, one can add test results, doctor’s notes, prescription drugs and other important patient information to the record. Most professional document scanning companies will recommend converting paper documents into static digital images first, giving clients the ability to store, capture, print or fax images of the document. However, once a document is stored online, it can also become a part of an electronic record.