For many hospitals across the country, it’s not uncommon for doctors to scurry down the halls frustrated and impatient—and rightfully so—in search of missing patient files. All the while, patients sit in exam rooms growing more irritated by the minute. Then, when the file is finally located, it might be missing information necessary to make the most accurate diagnosis and treatment.
But today, for one New York hospital, that’s no longer the case.
With the help of microMEDIA Imaging Systems Inc., the hospital continues to successfully convert its film and paper records and charts for its pediatric unit, OBGYN unit, World Trade Center unit for 9/11 victims and 5 off-site community clinics. To the benefit of doctors, staff and patients alike, these units are now becoming more efficient and cost-effective thanks to the new document scanning approach.
Moving forward, as legislators increasingly push for electronic patient records, this innovative, technically advanced hospital is one giant step ahead on the road to going digital.
Bumps Along the Way
The road to effective document and records management wasn’t a straight and easy one. Before partnering with microMEDIA, the hospital had been working with another vendor that simply wasn’t able to meet the needs of a fast-paced healthcare environment.
On a normal day, the hospital would send between 30 and 40 patient charts, records or files to the vendor to be scanned. The vendor was sufficiently equipped to get by on those days, but when an overabundance of documents was received, the document scanning team just couldn’t keep up.
“The unexpected will always happen—all of the sudden, you might have 100 charts coming in to be scanned on one day, or you have a new department’s files coming in all at once,” says Curtis Banks, Vice President of Operations at microMEDIA.
In those overabundant workflow situations, the previous document scanning vendor was unable to respond quickly to the added workload. That led to bottlenecks in the workflow—and left doctors and other medical personnel without the patient information they needed to provide accurate and high-quality care.
Additionally, the previous system did not provide an audit trail for doctors and medical personnel to track the status of patient files. Once a document left a doctor’s hands to be scanned, there was no efficient method to allow the doctor to determine its location or progress.
On top of that, the level of quality control was not sufficient to assure that documents were always coded accurately. Patient Charts were occasionally filed into the wrong person folder and miscoding occurred.
The hospital knew it needed a more effective document scanning approach, so it turned to microMEDIA to get it back on the road to electronic patient records.
Getting Back on the Course
microMEDIA worked hand in hand with hospital administrators and personnel to identify where the previous system had veered off course and how a more efficient document scanning system could better serve the needs of the hospital.
Together, the team set out three goals:
- Scan more efficiently
- Provide a better reporting structure
- Allow for close supervision and control of the document scanning process
To address the first point, the team created a process to allow for not just typical workflow days, but also for days when an unusually high volume of patient files, records or charts would arrive to be scanned. Now, when an extra large number of files are received to be scanned staff priorities are revised and overtime is approved.
A comprehensive audit trail was added so that medical staff can quickly and easily track the location of files—whether the files are waiting to be scanned, are in the process of being scanned or have successfully been electronically filed.
To provide for enhanced reporting, a regular meeting schedule for microMEDIA team members and hospital staff was implemented to facilitate communication and collaboration.
To address the need for close supervision, microMEDIA reviewed its onsite management structure and assigned supervisors to each of the three shifts who were coordinated by an overall site manager. The site manager works closely with hospital records management and is available to immediately respond to any problems or concerns.
In the end, the collaborative relationship between Medical Records and microMEDIA team members has led to the development of a customized document scanning and archiving solution that meets the hospital’s specific and unique needs now and over time.
“No two hospitals, no two customers are the same. We knew we needed to provide for a unique solution all the way around. We couldn’t have presented a canned product,” Banks says. “Instead, it has been a team effort to implement a unique and efficient solution.”
A Bright Road Ahead
Today, the hospital continues to benefit from an improved, efficient workflow for digitally scanning and archiving medical documents, including charts, patient records and film images.
Physicians’ valuable time is saved thanks to audit trails for files. Plus, the number of missing files has decreased dramatically. “In the beginning, the hospital would receive 3 to 5 requests per day for missing patient files. Currently, days go by with no requests. We’re working to make that weeks between requests,” says Banks.
But at the end of the day, the hospital’s ability to improve patient care and safety is perhaps the greatest achievement of the document scanning system. “Doctors need charts on their desks when patients come in, and not ones with missing information,” Banks says. “Giving proper medical attention to patients is what this is all about.”