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.