Document scanning by Scantronix.net - Document Scanning Blog
481 Van Brunt Street 8D, Brooklyn, NY 11231
Document Storage Online Document Storage Document Scanning Electronic Document Storage Medical Records Scanning document management OCR Document Scanning Electronic Document Management Solutions Document Scanning Services Secure Document Storage test elctronic document storage EMRs medical chart scanning OCR Service document destruction OCR scanning document management system Electronic Document Imaging EMR Electronic Document Management workflow systems document scanning new york emr scanning Document Scanning Company Document Imaging Solutions electronic medical records medical record scanning online medical records Electronic Medical Record Document Imaging Digital Document Imaging OCR Scanning Services
|
showing 1 - 15 of 73 post(s)
By: / on: 01-30-2012
New health laws passed by the United States government are requiring that all paper medical records eventually be fully converted into electronic medical records (EMR). While most people support the conversion to emergency medical records, some medical professionals are proposing that is would be beneficial to link each person to a Universal Patient Identifier (UPI) number. The U.S. is investing billions of dollars in this endeavor and some health providers are advocates, while others strongly disagree with the new UPI system.
Health professionals agree that medical record scanning facilitate the process of sharing patient information amongst doctors. Those who support the use of a UPI, say that population growth has created mass confusion in identifying patients with multiple names and other similar personal data. They fear that without a UPI system there could be many cases of mistaken identity and that would pose a great danger to patient health care. In addition, they insist that A UPI would serve a better purpose than a social security number, since it is not connected to other personal information, especially financial information, and therefore it provides patients with more privacy and security. Advocates believe that a UPI system enhances the EMR scanning system because it is the safest and most efficient way to link medical patients to their personal medical data.
By contrast, privacy rights activist groups strongly disagree with the theory that UPI’s are the smartest way to connect people with their health records. They declare that patient medical information is currently being gathered and sold without patient consent for commercial gain purposes, and that a UPI system would intensify this already defunct system. They propose that patients would begin to purposely omit pertinent health information, in an effort to protect their privacy, and this would result in a vast deterioration of health care.
By: / on: 01-04-2012
According to the amount of legal cases that the American Bar Association claims are being filed each year, it is no surprise that the legal profession is up to its knees in paperwork. Most law firms are discovering that it is a struggle to keep up with the pace of this current litigation explosion and are scurrying just to keep up with their daily work-related responsibilities. Manually searching through file cabinets or boxes, to prepare for a deposition is not time efficient, and in the legal profession, time is money.
Office rental space can cost in the vicinity of one-hundred dollars or higher per square foot. Smaller firms inevitably run out of space. Larger law firms might be located in a more spacious environment, however with larger client bases, storage issues are still problematic. One alternative that law firms have used in the past is to store their overflow of legal files at offsite storage facilities. One mid-size firm estimated that they spent as much as $350,000 annually for document storage alone. The problem with this type of storage solution system is that the costs are always rising and it does not provide any long-term solutions.
Document imaging or document scanning can save a company or firm substantial amount of money in overhead, staffing, management, and retrieval costs. Storing records electronically, not only maximizes the speed and efficiency as to the way a business operates, it also can help firms to:
· easily search for client files from your desk
· reduce the time and costs of making photocopies
· reduce or eliminate the amount of documents that are misplaced
· eliminate the need for off-site storage facilities
· easily share documents with other staff members
By hiring a document scanning company, law firms can effortlessly convert all of their documents to PDF files. Electronic filing technology is a great resource that enables any legal corporation to create, work with, and maintain all the necessary documents needed to conduct their legal business affairs. Saving time and cutting costs will essentially benefit business, and the efficiency that it creates in your workplace cannot be underestimated.
By: / on: 12-16-2011
Today, more and more high school seniors are choosing to attend college in search of better paying jobs in a struggling economic environment and college application rates are at an all time high. For this reason, higher-education establishments are finding themselves in a situation where they are dealing with the challenges of storing massive amounts of paper documentation every academic year.
While increasing space and finances are important issues, another important factor is the preserving of school records. Commonly, many school establishments use basements to store their records. Based on random survey responses and insurance claims, research has shown that materials that are stored in a basement are frequently at risk of suffering from weather related damages, such as flooding. Furthermore, the historic buildings, that are so commonly prevalent on many college campuses, were not constructed in proper accordance to make them suitable buildings for bulky and overweight record storage.
Virginia Commonwealth University and Metropolitan Community College are two higher-learning facilities that have made the digital transition and are extremely satisfied with the results. Spokespersons from both schools admitted that they could justify the investment financially and also in regard to daily employee working conditions. By eliminating file cabinet storage, both institutions were able to create new working space for additional employees, which was an additional advantage that they had not previously anticipated. In addition, administrative staff, at both schools recognized that their office space was not as cluttered which made everything more manageable and the employees less frustrated in terms of completing both simple tasks and more complicated tasks.
With space being an issue, combined with the fact that the financial means are often not available in the budget to build newer buildings on the campuses, schools need to explore better solutions that will suit all of their storage needs for years to come. Document scanning gives schools and other establishments the ability to convert their paper document into electronic files, which makes storage and accessibility much more convenient. Document scanning that is outsourced to a reputable company is a cost-effective solution for all your digital record needs.
By: / on: 11-01-2011
Making the switch to a document scanning system is a commitment that is worth the effort in the practice of law. Digital technology is becoming the norm in most businesses practices, and to resist moving forward can only impair the way your company functions. Paper files are becoming a way of the past and studies have established that using them wastes productive company time and resources. There are many risks associated with paper systems that digital files reduce or eliminate.
It is common knowledge that the legal profession is highly stressful and extremely competitive. The most important reason for a law firm to convert to a digital filing system is because the practice would be more successful in a competitive market. Compared to an office that still relies on paper, an electronic office can access files and client information much more quickly. There is not enough time in the day to search for files that you need immediately. Document scanning allows you to pull of client files within seconds without having an associate readily available to deliver your paperwork. In fact, you don’t even need to be in the office to access the information you need and the days of carrying huge stacks of paperwork home or into a court room would be obsolete. By digitally scanning client files, more than one legal associate can work on a case simultaneously and you will always have access to files whenever you need them.
Another reason electronic digital filing systems are an asset to a legal practice is security. With proper backing-up procedures, electronic records are more secure than paper files. Paper files can easily get misplaced, lost and damaged. Electronic records can provide a law practice with peace of mind knowing that their files are safe from unauthorized access and from unexpected sources of damage.
By: / on: 09-12-2011
Years ago, patients were primarily treated by one family doctor and if required, referred to a specialist. However, in today’s world, many primary physicians have needed to expand their practices to function properly to meet the needs of a growing and aging population. Consequently, it is now more common for family practices to staff many doctors within one practice. Since patients are frequently treated by various doctors within a practice, medical records are changing hands on a regular basis. This is one of the many reasons that many medical offices and hospitals are opting to transition with document scanning to a paperless record keeping system that scans pertinent patient information into easily retrievable electronic files.
Medical records provide doctors with important information about the patients they are treating. Electronic medical records (EMR) contain the same information as the traditional paper files. With EMR, patient information is current, and easily accessible, for every doctor that is treating a patient. Information that is typically included in an EMR includes:
· Medical history
· Patient release forms
· Test results
· Prescription history
· Doctor notes
EMRs enhance patient care and medical treatment in various ways. First, it replaces the old cumbersome method of paper charts and records. Paper records are time consuming for staff and can be easily lost or damaged. Secondly, communication between doctors, either within the same office, separate medical offices, or within a larger medical community, such as a hospital, are able to transmit information electronically which saves time while ensuring that they have all the information they to treat their patients. With medical professionals having all of this information at their fingertips 24 hours a day, information is up-to-date and there are fewer errors in patient care. Lastly, an EMR system is conveniently equipped to handle patient prescriptions, so that doctors may instantly transmit the prescription details to the pharmacy and the system will also cross-reference medications to ensure patient safety.
By: / on: 08-23-2011
Electronic medical record (EMR) scanning is on the rise in hospitals. Gathering and storing patient records in a hospital environment has never been easier. Document scanning is the latest procedure which allows hospitals to utilize electronic medical records for their patients being treated. EMR/EHR (Electronic Health Record) scanning is transforming the field of healthcare dramatically for the better. Hospitals that convert to EMR/EHR practices improve communication among medical providers, which allows physicians to provide better care for their patients.
The Obama Administration has declared that by fully digitalizing all patient medical records and compiling them into a national database provides health care professionals with a massive amount of information of both effective and non-effective treatment plans. Medical chart scanning and EMR scanning also allows doctors to send digital medical charts between them, speeding up the diagnostic process, and eliminating unnecessary tests and procedures.
Reasons Why Every Hospital and Medical Office Should Embrace EMR/EHR Technology
By: / on: 08-11-2011
Document scanning is the process of is the process of converting paper documents into accessible and useful digital files. Many businesses are realizing that the transition from paper files to digital files is cost efficient and beneficial to their companies. Since paper documents can be cumbersome, they create barriers to accessibility, profit, and productivity. In addition to being hard to manage, paper documentation are not easily protected and do not provide businesses with a secure way to manage their records. Converting paper documents into electronic documents is a simple process that produces cost saving results. Any type of paper document can be scanned. Common document scanning in business practices include:
· Correspondence
· Invoices
· Financial spreadsheets
· Human Resource files
· School records and transcripts
· Medical Records
· Legal contracts
How It Is Done:
Document scanning can be done quickly, efficiently, and affordably by a professional document scanning company. The procedure involves passing paper documents through a scanning device that converts the image on the paper into a digital image. Information is then entered to determine how to index the file and special processes can be implemented to manipulate, read, and interpret the documents by using Intelligent Character Recognition (ICR) or Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology.
Advantages of Digital Document Scanning
Digital document scanning can reduce company costs of:
· Copying
· Printing
· Mailing
· Retrieving, sorting, filing documents
· File cabinet storage and storage space
Another advantage is that document scanning increases the security of data with passwords, backups, and firewalls. This system provides businesses with an increased ability to access information which allows for quicker retrieval and collaboration times.
Why Your Business Should Make the Switch to Digital
Document scanning is a consistent digital formatting technique that allows increased efficiency and reduces operational costs. Necessary documents are easily accessible and can be retrieved worldwide within seconds allowing for collaboration and reducing cycle times and cost. Backing up and securing business documents digitally, eliminates the risk of security breaches and physical damage.
By: / on: 07-11-2011
Budget cuts across the country are forcing school districts to meet challenges with cost-saving results. That is why more school districts are making the transition to go “paperless” by investing in “document scanning”. A document scanning services company is responsible for converting all paper records into a digital image filing system. It is a worthwhile investment with a quick return that maintains school records and improves efficiency in the districts. School districts are finding themselves in a situation where their volumes of paperwork are getting much more difficult to organize and maintain. Records are cumbersome and not able to be accessed in a timely manner. Therefore, many school districts are deciding to join the “bandwagon” and begin converting their records to digital files. Some districts have already begun the process of outsourcing their documents to a reputable document scanning company to convert their paper files into electronic digital images.
School districts are responsible for keeping and managing an enormous amount of student and faculty records over a period of years which is mandated by the district. The documents they are required to store range from student records and transcripts, district test scores, SAT and ACT scores, and immunization records. When some high schools are retaining a student body that consists of 3200 students, school personnel are quick to realize that this is becoming a time-consuming burden and that is an inefficient for quickly accessing records.
Schools that have already transitioned to a digital document scanning management system have reported inherent benefits that include:
· Decreased storage costs
· Operational efficiency
· Easy accessibility
· Preservation of records
· Document security
· Rapid investment payback
Storing paper records has many disadvantages. First and foremost, it is costly. Jan Howard, an administrative assistant with the Colorado School District went on record to say that “rooms filled with paper are a fire hazard”. Being able to retrieve digital information in seconds by searching a student’s name or school ID number makes sense and serves the school community better.
By: / on: 06-30-2011
There are many companies who are certain their office could benefit from document scanning services, yet they continue to put it off. One reason for this is they are not sure if they have the resources and manpower to complete each step in the process. A comprehensive document management strategy involves a lot more than pure document scanning; in fact, if the project is planned out properly, the scanning process will be the least time-consuming part.
Perhaps your company has considered a “paperless” transition in the past, but you haven’t moved forward with it because of a lack of organizational resources. Some businesses tackle the digital conversion over a long period of time, scanning documents on an as-needed basis, but if you would prefer to do it all at once, it makes sense to outsource the job.
There are some real benefits to having your document conversion done quickly by a professional document scanning company.
If your office uses a lot of paper, the prospect of implementing a document management system may be daunting. That’s where an outsourced document management company can be a great help. They will show you exactly what needs to be done to get started, including the sorting, organizing and prepping of various document types, and bring all of the pieces of your project together into one neat and manageable package.
By: / on: 06-21-2011
If your organization has decided to take the plunge and convert office documents into a digital format, then it may be time to select a document imaging company. While some small businesses may attempt to manage the digital conversion themselves, most paper-heavy offices find that this take too much time away from the daily operations of the business.
Many office managers struggle with deciding who to call on for this service. Some document scanning services specialize in medical, legal and financial companies, while other are considered “generalists”. Depending on the type of business you operate, it may be a good idea to look into a specialist company, especially if privacy and confidentiality issues are regulated in your industry. But most importantly, be sure to work with a company who will tailor the document management process to your business’ needs. They should also be able to give you a clear vision of the structure and cost of your digital conversion.
Trust is a big issue for businesses who handle confidential documents, such as financial agreements, medical records and legal filings. For these documents, you will need to know you are dealing with a reputable, responsive and well-trained staff. Many of these companies will offer to scan sensitive documents on site.
The best document scanning services will efficiently coordinate all the steps of the conversion process and keep you and your top managers in the loop. They will coordinate the pick-up and delivery of your documents, adhere to project deadlines, and review the process with you on an ongoing basis.
Be sure you are dealing with a company that has the experience, background and technical expertise to produce the end result that they promise, as well as testimonials to back up their claims. Ask about the equipment they use and how frequently they invest in new technology.
By: / on: 04-12-2011
Are you thinking about moving your business operations into the 21st century? Over the past 10 to 12 years, a lot has changed in the way that offices are managed. From the rise of electronic medical records to the online storage and management of business documents, it is now possible for most companies to manage their businesses remotely, wherever Internet service is available. In some respects, if you haven’t yet made the transition from paper to digital, you may be in a better position to take advantage of new technologies in document imaging systems.
Even if you already know what your company needs to go digital, choosing a document scanning company can be complicated. Depending on the needs of your business, outsourcing can be done for document scanning alone or for full-scale document management. Some companies also specialize in electronic health records.
No matter which document scanning company you choose, be sure they can meet the following business needs:
1) They should be able to import your scanned documents to a reliable document management software program and show your team how to use it.
2) The team you hire should be aware of any privacy laws that affect your business and have a plan in place to keep your documents safe from prying eyes.
3) Whenever possible, they should be able to use OCR scanning for scanned documents that need to be archived and/or edited.
4) You should be given the option to store your documents online through a secure document storage service or on a secure offsite network.
5) If your business will be scanning confidential documents, such as medical or financial records, the company you hire should be able to archive your documents securely by storing them at an off-site facility.
Most professional document scanning firms now offer a range of options to meet the needs of your business. Whether you choose a single service option or a complete digital transition, the team at Scantronix is ready to help.
By: / on: 03-23-2011
Up until recently the primary focus of document scanning and online document management has been to get medical practices and law offices into the 21st century. This was immediately followed by the financial and insurance industries. Now that so many businesses are managing everything digitally, other companies may find it easier to switch to a paperless office.
As the American labor force becomes more accustomed to electronic documents, the use of paper in an office seems a lot more cumbersome. Gone are the days when there was a line at the copy machine and a stack of manila folders on every worker’s desk. Without even trying, today’s worker has gradually changed the way they manage paper documents in an office environment.
It’s hard to say when it happened, but at some point it become redundant to keep a file of paperwork for each client, when there was already an electronic file in existence. It probably happened around the same time that people started “trusting computers” and realizing that their documents wouldn’t be lost in a computer crash. IT professionals have become very adept at maintaining back-up files and ensuring the safety of network drives. In most modern offices, client documents and important files are saved to a network drive instead of existing solely on a workers computer. As a result, the average worker feels a lot more confident maintaining electronic document scanning without the requisite paper file.
This shift has impacted various industries in different ways, but there are very few businesses that still operate in a paper-only model. In the interest of efficiency, it appears that the American business owner is ready to follow the example of medical and legal office and embrace electronic document management solutions.
Getting started with a document management solution for your office may require the help of a document scanning company. These digital imaging professionals are the most effective way to make sure every employee is on the same page with the transition, and they can recommend the right software to securely manage employee document access. In addition to actually document scanning and archiving your paper documents, most document scanning firms offer training for your employees. By: / on: 02-10-2011
Ever since Microsoft introduced its SharePoint software program, more solutions than ever have been added for imaging and capturing documents. As a primary solution builder in this space, SharePoint focuses on workflow and solving problems related to running a business digitally. Below is an overview of some of the most important trends affecting the document imaging and scanning industry, and what they are doing to make document management stress free.
ADE, or Advanced Data Extraction, is a function that will automatically view and extract the Meta data to make processing key business document more efficient. Now an affordable element for any document scanning management system, ADE reduces the amount of staff time needed to look up data and re-enter it into a new document or program.
Fax processing is a secure, point-to-point method of imaging and communication that is ideal for businesses that need a high level of security. Whether in the financial services or medical fields, inbound faxes can be processed and routed to appropriate departments and repositories to improve workflow and efficiency throughout an organization.
Redaction is another way to keep confidential information secure, and prevent overexposure of sensitive data within digital or paper documents. Automated redaction is an application that parses the text of a document to obscure certain information from being seen. These can include tax ID numbers, social security numbers, and sensitive medical information.
Once the document scanning is complete, the real work can begin, by adding the appropriate document scanning management software and related tools to improve workflow, security and overall efficiency in the workplace. With so many medical, legal and financial practices using digital and online document storage, the natural next step in the process is to do so securely and efficiently. Tools like ADE, fax processing and redaction are just a few of the most important new trends in document management. By: / on: 01-11-2011
Ever since the US government allocated money to encourage healthcare providers to start using EHRs, the rush has been on to hire service providers who can assist with this project. Most doctors’ offices and medical centers lack the technology and training to manage the implementation of electronic health records, which has led them to outsource the document scanning, software development and archival storage of their paper medical charts. Unfortunately, since many portions of these jobs are managed offshore, privacy concerns have become a major issue. Recent HIPAA legislation may prohibit providers from moving forward with an EHR transition without compromising the integrity of patient privacy.
Outsourcing companies have their eye on capturing a share of the stimulus dollars that have been earmarked for the national transition to document scanning electronic health records. Not only do they have the resources to do everything from software development to data storage; they are able to do this at much more competitive costs than some US-based providers. The National Health Service (NHS) has a goal of centralizing 60 million patients into EHR records within a very short time frame, which will require the use of outsourced transcription, scanning, storage and data management. Electronic health records are basically a patient’s medical records, stored in a digital format that can be retrieved by multiple users within a network of healthcare providers. In addition to the patient’s demographics and medical history, EHRs can also show their progress in a current illness, list of medications and immunizations, lab test results, x-rays, billing records and so forth. As a result, privacy concerns are valid. Healthcare providers must be careful to ask the right questions concerning privacy when dealing with offshore companies, lest they put their patients’ confidential health information in the wrong hands. By: / on: 12-13-2010
A professional document scanning company may have taken a mountain of work off of your hands by scanning and cataloging each document that was once taking up space in your office. They may have shown you how to catalog, store, retrieve and archive all of your newly scanned digital files and set you up with the software to do so. In many cases, you may have learned a lot about OCR scanning and searchable PDF files as well. But at some point or another, your new paperless office will need to be outfitted for the maintenance of continuous scanning and indexing of paper files. Law offices and medical practices are often challenged by this task, as much of their staff is still learning how to use the new software.
Once your office has set up standards for digital storage and cleared away the excess filing cabinets, you will need to be prepared to maintain these new parameters over the long term. Below is an overview of the hardware requirements for a paperless office:
Buy or lease a scanner that has the capacity to perform quick scans and can handle the volume of paper you expect to be scanning on a daily basis. The cost of this equipment will depend on whether your office can get buy with a desktop scanner or needs a full-service digital document center. What’s nice about a digital document center is that it can be used as a copier as well.
Be sure the speed of the scanner you buy is fast enough to scan the volume of paper you will typically be scanning in a day, given your allocated resources. Scanner speed is measured by page-per-minute (PPM) rates.
Do you need a document scanner that can do double-sided or oversized scanning? How about color scanning? Some of the latest equipment will scan directly from the scanner to a digital file, email, or document management system, which could make a significant difference in office efficiency.
Most professional document scanning companies will recommend very specific equipment based on your budget and the needs of your office.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Top Features
- High grade optical scanning
- Archival preservation
- Microfilm & microfiche digitizing
- Digitization and electronic document processing
- High quality digital images from all types of materials
- High Speed document scanning
- Large format scanning
- Blueprint scanning
- X-ray scanning
- E-file conversion
Archives
© 2012 Scantronix. All rights reserved.