Medical practices in just about every field handle a high volume of often sensitive patient information every day. In the past, many of these patient records had to be stored as physical paperwork on-site or in an independent storage facility. But handling this volume of paper records proved tedious, time-consuming, and labor-intensive.
For these reasons, many medical offices have chosen to embrace digital document solutions for their record-keeping processes.
An electronic medical record (EMR) platform enables medical providers to efficiently document, store, and access sensitive patient data without the hang-ups caused by paper document storage practices.
The quality of your scanning technology is critical for digitizing old records and creating new electronic health records. That’s why it is important to understand some of the best practices for scanning medical records securely and efficiently prior to implementing an EMR system.
What are Some Best Practices for Scanning Medical Records?
Every medical facility is different and may require specialized processes for specific tasks. However, a few standard considerations should be taken into account for any medical practice looking to implement digital scanning processes. Let’s take a closer look at some of these best practices.
1. Invest in Quality Equipment
EMR systems offer enhanced opportunities for increased productivity and have the potential to cut back significantly on wasted time and manpower. However, attempting to scan high volumes of physical paperwork with subpar equipment can slow down the documentation process and require additional resources not initially accounted for.
Medical practices should carefully consider which technology solutions to invest in by researching available computers, tablets, scanners, and software platforms. A stream of new technology solutions constantly hit the market – often with new and unique features. Knowing how to differentiate the available solutions is a critical exercise.
When making a selection, office managers and other decision-makers should factor in which features would best serve their unique practice. This effort will support team members tasked with operating the scanning system on a daily basis.
Ideally, it would be best to invest in technology solutions that can integrate seamlessly with each other, which will optimize workflows and streamline the scanning process from end to end.
For example, you may wish to select a document scanning software that integrates with your document management software, so scanned documents can be uploaded directly to your data storage platform.
2. Carefully Analyze Your Documents
Electronic medical records that are generated directly within an EMR platform can be easily accessed, reviewed, and amended when necessary. However, prior to converting physical records to digital ones, you should carefully review the contents of the medical record to ensure accuracy. This step will help streamline the editing process.
It is also important to assess which existing records should be digitized. Not every record needs to be digitized. Consider providing training for your team to avoid wasting resources scanning and uploading documents that do not need to be retained.
Also, check with state regulations on maintaining medical records. Many states have specific laws and regulations that pertain to the retention of medical documentation. But once the specified window of time has elapsed, it may no longer be necessary to retain possession of these records.
The digitization process is an excellent opportunity to dispose of outdated medical or personnel records to free up storage space and avoid wasting time, labor, and other resources.
3. Use a Secure Software Solution
A broad spectrum of local and federal regulations govern the proper handling of medical information and other sensitive data. One of the most critical considerations for medical professionals is HIPAA compliance.
HIPAA is a federal law that established highly specific national standards for protecting patients’ medical information. Medical practices must take extensive measures to ensure that they are following all the necessary guidelines.
Not all software platforms are designed with data security in mind, as evidenced by a recent trend of data breach settlements and litigation. Before selecting a software solution for document scanning and storage, ensure that your chosen software platform has safety measures for facilities that handle sensitive data.
Scan Documents Safely with Go Find It
We recommend our Go Find It platform to support the needs of medical record scanning and storage. We developed specific solutions to support the needs of medical offices to securely scan, store, and share medical information and other sensitive data.
Consider the benefits of using our solutions:
- Integrate with your practice’s existing EMR software to enhance capabilities and keep data security at the forefront.
- Designed for document storage and management purposes.
- Offers users a high degree of control over digital documents.
Additionally, data can be stored in the cloud or a physical “data warehouse” – depending on the scale of your record-keeping needs. This functionality allows users to organize their data in a way that makes sense for their practice. Information can be easily accessed without having to sift through large quantities of irrelevant data or other documents.
Take a Look at Turbo Owl
We also offer a secure scanning solution called Turbo Owl. This document scanning and routing platform makes it easy to scan, upload, and organize documents directly into your document management system.
Turbo Owl affords users the ability to digitally split multi-page documents and offers bulk upload capabilities to further streamline the digitization process. Furthermore, Turbo Owl is designed with medical practices in mind, so documents are handled and stored securely and safely.
Find the Right Data Solution for Your Practice
If you’re interested in digitizing your existing records or implementing a new electronic records system, Go Find It offers a full spectrum of software offerings to meet your needs.
From document scanning and storing to information sharing and e-signature capabilities, our data storage solutions can be tailored to fit the needs of your practice.
Reach out today to learn more. A member of our team will contact you to schedule a consultation and demonstration. Let’s work together on implementing the best practices for scanning medical records.
