TECH TALK
P
rimary benefits of
implementing a
comprehensive Electronic
Medical Records (EMR)/
Electronic Health Records
(EHR) system
EMR systems are designed to keep track of a
patient’s entire health and medical history in
an electronic, computerised format. Although
it may appear to be a daunting task, storing
the vast volume of patient records in a digital
format makes information more readily
accessible and can help healthcare workers
and patients navigate through healthcare
systems more safely and efficiently.
Ultimately, EMR systems can improve
quality of care and patient safety, control
costs, save substantial time for healthcare
providers and, of course, provide extensive
storage capabilities in today’s data-
driven era. Advantages include increased
efficiency, with the ability to reduce
duplication of documents; elimination of
needless delays in searching for charts;
intelligence capabilities such as medical
and prescription drug interaction alerts
and treatment reminders; and quality
measures for tailoring and showcasing
data in customised formats.
First steps for developing
a smooth transition to
Electronic Records
Transitioning any healthcare organisation
from a paper-based environment to a digital
one can be a complicated proposition.
However, if the transition is thoroughly
planned and executed, the task can be
manageable and result in substantial
benefits to your practice or organisation.
Either during the EMR/EHR selection process
or when a system has been chosen and an
implementation plan created, document
and chart conversion needs to be addressed
for the transition. Conversion of existing
documents and information is critical, and
requires evaluation and consideration of
a scanning solution to integrate into your
EMR system or to provide stand-alone
document retention and access. Most
scanning solutions have been validated with
healthcare systems, but validation needs
to be verified prior to use. Staff training on
the conversion of back files and day-forward
documents procedures is critical for success.
After the paper transition is planned and
executed, your organisation is ready to go
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INTELLIGENTCIO
live, with the EMR/EHR solution providing
access to information electronically.
During the transition phase, there is likely
to be a slowdown, but once the system has
been fully adopted, time and cost savings will
be incremental. To ensure that the transition
is smooth, you need to make sure everyone
in your organisation is on-board, establish
solid security protocols, conduct routine
maintenance and backups for your system
and develop a disaster recovery plan.
Challenges in converting
existing medical records to a
digital system
With today’s wide variety of hard copy
patient records, including faxed prescriptions,
physician orders, referrals, collections of
signatures, medical charts and other
accumulated patient information, it’s hard
to imagine how to convert to a paperless
office. To ensure successful migration of
paper charts and information to your EMR
system, it’s important to first determine what
approach you want to use to convert your
documents, files and charts. Options include:
• Set up a manual in-house process,
whereby documents are scanned directly
into a solution.
• Purchase a solution that provides more
sophisticated information indexing and
allows users to scan charts into the EMR
solution.
• Outsource the project to a service provider
that specialises in document conversion for
physicians and healthcare systems.
When converting existing data and
considering scanning options, first and
foremost organisations need to ensure
the integrity of data and image quality.
They also need to consider ease of use:
Is it a simple push-button process, or is it
more complicated? And, of course, speed:
How many scans/pages per minute are
demanded? Also, is a backup scanner
needed? This is important when considering
the high volume of paperwork being
transitioned. Finally, you need to consider
the level of service from the solution
provider. Will the scanner provider replace
or fix a unit if there are problems? How
promptly will it be able to correct the issue?
Will it provide guidance to help make the
transition smooth? These are questions
that should be considered when selecting a
solutions provider.
Integration of scanning
solution into existing
healthcare applications
Scanning is a relatively simple method
for capturing electronic images of paper
documents and storing them for online
reference, either through a stand-alone
solution or an EMR/EHR or enterprise
content management (ECM) solution.
This process simply replaces paper charts
with images of paper documents that
are readily accessible, and most providers
offer solutions that integrate with existing
healthcare applications. However, what
you really need to consider is how well the
scanning solutions perform and whether
they can be customised to work with your
EMR system. The most important features
to consider when selecting a scanning
solution are quality of image scanned, ease
of use, speed and service.
Why is selecting the right scanning solution
so important for the transition to EMR/
EHR? Selecting the right scanning solution
is the first step to becoming a successful
“paperless” environment. Once you’ve taken
the leap to digital, you need to consider
the most effective way to incorporate all of
your existing patient documentation and
information. A documented conversion
protocol must be established and followed
as part of your organisational strategy in
the transition to digital.
Selecting the correct scanning solution for
your transition to EMR is a critical first step
that includes the conversion of paper files
into electronic images that can be imported
into your EMR software platform for access.
To make this transition seamless, you need
to ensure your solution offers the appropriate
scanning volume and high-quality images.
Otherwise, this step may be a slow and
arduous process. Many organisations
mistakenly believe they can get by with “a
nice little scanner” they already have in the
office, until they find that they’ve burnt it out
after only a few weeks’ time. Shaving dollars
off your document conversion program will
result in wasted man-hours and frustration
on the part of employees, ultimately
diminishing the quality of care delivered to
patients. Efficiently converting back files and
day-forward documents is an important
step in your organisation’s transition to EMR,
and critical to any healthcare system’s push
toward digital transformation.
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