Migrating from Paper to Electronic Medical Records

By Chad Perlmutter | January 9, 2015 | 3 minute read

Managing any office’s important documents is important, but when it comes to medical records, it is crucial that they are up to date and handled responsibly.

Not only are these records crucial for your business practices, but they also contain information in regards to hundreds (if not thousands) of patients.

The healthcare industry has been using  traditional filing systems for decades, but more and more practices are converting to electronic medical records and a paperless office to increase efficiency and to streamline their medical records management plan.

Electronic Medical Records Make Things Easier to Manage

Electronic Medical Records, or EMRs, compile all your information into a secure digital format instead of document and re-entering that data from a paper form.  And EMR makes it easier to transfer information to other providers for you, and allows doctors to access your entire medical record and history quickly and easily.

EMRs also give you the ability to send and receive patient information, bills, test or lab results, and prescriptions digitally instead of having to come into the office for the good (or bad) news.

In case of an emergency, your EMR includes your entire medical history and any allergies or your allergies, potentially preventing a catastrophic mistake that could cause an accidental death due to an adverse reaction.

EMRs Also Help Organize Your Office

It makes sense to have hard copies of current or new patients on hand in the office, but what about those patients that you see every few months, or once a year?   Archiving older medical records in a secure offsite facility makes it easier to find current patient files and eliminates the chance any patient files getting misplaced.

If you need a medical record quickly, be sure to ask the medical records facility you’re interested in if they can pick up or deliver, and if they have emergency retrieval services

Offsite medical records storage also provides you with a secure backup to protect against fire, flood, natural disasters, and theft. Storing archived medical records and critical business files in a secure offsite locate reduces the chance of the inadvertent destruction of your patient’s medical records.