Document Scanning Blog

As a way to cut down on paper and improve efficiencies, many medical offices have gone through the lengthy process of document scanning and indexing every paper medical chart. While the “paperless office” represents a major step forward in improving patient care, it is only the beginning of an industry-wide transformation. With the recent healthcare reform legislation comes a new emphasis on Healthcare Information Technology (HIT), which is expected to redefine the way information is stored, evaluated and transmitted throughout the medical community. Instead of using electronic medical records (EMRs), healthcare providers will be transitioning to electronic health records (EHRs). EHRs will take the quantitative data from a standard digital health record and make it accessible to a broad range of public and private entities. Many fear that this could compromise patient privacy. Until recently, the use of electronic medical records (EMRs) by medical offices wasn’t seen as a threat to patient privacy. This is because an EMR is generally used by only one organization, as a replacement for a paper chart. While the record exists on a computer, it is no less secure than paper medical charts, and some would argue that it is even more secure. Professional document scanning companies and document scanning software have made it possible for healthcare facilities to access digital charts with ease. However, an EHR is an aggregate electronic health record that is gathered cumulatively and available across multiple platforms. Here, HIPAA rules will be a major consideration in ensuring privacy and security of patient information. Individual medical offices need not be concerned about how the industry wide adoption of EHR systems will impact their individual records. Each practitioner will only be responsible for their own EMRs. This will require four types of security measures are taken: physical security of computers, user security for the patient database, system security to prevent a hard drive crash and network security to prevent hackers. As long as each of these four areas is addressed, the risk of compromising patient data is very minimal. Most professional document scanning companies work with many medical practitioners and will make sure patient data is indexed and stored securely.