April 30th 
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The decades of medical care being completely paper-driven are officially coming to a close. The days of having to constantly update, rewrite and keep track of stacks of paperwork might be in their final days. Digital medical records are taking over the medical paper trail that has long dominated the healthcare industry.
Modern technology is enabling Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) to slowly replace the traditional paper and film versions.
The move to digital medical records is being fueled by President Obama’s economic stimulus, which allows for $19.2 billion for health information technology. Many hospitals will use these funds to implement EHRs.
But what does this mean for medical care and for patients? Quite simply, improved quality of care and physician accuracy, as doctors will no longer rely on incomplete charts, poor memories of patients or even illegible handwriting on deteriorated paper.
An article in the New York Times mentions the following benefits to digital medical records:
- Avoid duplication of tests
- Reduce medical errors
- Make surgery safer
- Encourage better self-care
- Improve care of chronic illnesses
- Identify the right drug and dose
Clearly there is a learning curve associated with new technology, and digital medical records are no different. But the sooner the learning curve starts, the sooner it will be erased.
Healthcare organizations should ensure the document scanning service:
- Will work with any existing or planned imaging systems
- Offers the option of on-site specialists to ensure digital scanning projects run smoothly
- Provides custom, flexible solutions for any objective, timeframe or budget, rather than an out-of-the-box solution
- Has quality standards in place to ensure no documents are omitted and all data entered to identify patients is accurate
Learn how digital scanning services from microMEDIA helped a New York hospital make the transition to digital medical records.
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- Healthcare Document Imaging Quiz: Who’s Gone Paperless?
Learn more about how microMEDIA can fulfill your imaging services needs.