March 10th 
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Regardless of how health care reform develops in the near future, one fact seems to be certain: Electronic health records and medical digital imaging are rapidly gaining ground.
According to a recent Kansas City Star article, two major factors are contributing to the growth of electronic health records:
- Medical imaging advancements are helping physicians and healthcare providers ease the transition to electronic files. For example, Electronic Health Records (EHR) – one quickly evolving healthcare technology – allow digital records to be shared across entire healthcare organizations.
- The Health Information and Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act is providing billions of dollars to help healthcare providers leverage the latest health information technology.
Still, for many healthcare providers, there’s a long road ahead to take patient records and files digital. The same article cites that less than half of the nation’s hospitals, and only one in five physicians, are currently equipped to fully use electronic records.
Healthcare providers looking for a medical digital imaging solution should follow these 5 tips to ensure the process is seamless and successful:
1. Look for a flexible solution. All healthcare organizations have different budgets, project timeframes and other systems that need to interface with the scanned documents. Therefore, medical digital imaging solutions shouldn’t take a “one-size-fits-all” approach.
2. Make sure digital imaging processes are HIPAA compliant. Confidentiality of medical, personnel and financial information must be a top priority. Look for an imaging service that will sign a confidentiality agreement, employs video monitoring of equipment and operates in a security monitored building.
3. Require vendor independence. One medical provider in the Kansas City Star article says his biggest hurdle to converting to electronic records was finding software compatible with his business operation. To avoid this issue, healthcare organization should ensure their imaging service can work with any existing software or system. On the converse, healthcare organizations should be wary of providers who sell hardware or software.
4. Ensure ease of use. Another medical provider in the Kansas City Star article cited ease of use as a main barrier to the adoption of digital files. A medical digital imaging service should not only ensure proper training of new systems or processes, but also offer the option of an on-site representative to ensure seamless transition.
5. Provide a complete audit trail. During the digital conversion processes, healthcare organizations need a complete audit trail for doctors and medical personnel to track the status of patient files. Medical personnel must be able to quickly determine whether files are waiting to be scanned, are in the process of being scanned or have successfully been electronically filed.
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- Healthcare Document Imaging Quiz: Who’s Gone Paperless?
- Best Practices for Implementing a Digital Health Records System
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