You’ll be surprised to read that back in 1975, an article was published by an analyst Arthur D. Little which predicted that paper use at the workplace would start to decline by 1980 and nearly disappear by 1990.
However, during the last 42 years, paper use in the United States has increased by a whopping400%. In fact, revenues of U.S paper producers are higher than they were in 2011. Statistics like these are alarming and acknowledge the fact that not a lot of progress has been made in terms of going paperless by various industries.
While going paperless has its fair share of benefits to the environment, it can even help the medical industry to eliminate clutter and manage medical records in a much better way. Going paperless can help doctors and medical staff streamline internal operations and even enhance the patient experience.
Why is going paperless important in the medical industry?
Firstly, paper records lying around in the office pose a great security risk i.e.the confidentiality of the patient is at stake. Most employees have access to data that they should not see. On top of security, healthcare professionals waste a lot of time and resource to find a patient’s record manually. Rather than spending precious time searching through filing cabinets, storage rooms or even off-site rooms, forward-thinking healthcare organizations are opting for a single digital storage for all important files. It can majorly increase productivity levels and improve accuracy. If you’re still confused about which records can be converted into digital files, here is a short list to help you out.
5 things you can make paperless in the healthcare industry are:
- Patient Records
- HR files
- Compliance Records
- Medical Billing & EOB’s
- EKG’s and X-Rays
Going paperless is surprisingly much cheaper than spending loads on paper, copiers, printers, etc. Here are 5 main benefits of going paperless in the medical industry:
Advantages of going paperless in the medical industry:
1- Multiple redundant systems can be united by a single platform
Most healthcare practices use different systems for various purposes, which takes more resources and manpower to maintain. In many cases, employees have to enter the same information into different databases multiple times. It is time-consuming and exhausting for the staff too. An electronic health record conversion (EHR) can replace the whole system and act as a single platform to store documents securely, provide better document retrieval services, and work as a backup server to prevent data loss.
2- Documents are easier to index
A user-friendly data management software has the ability to index documents with precision and accuracy, which is often missed by humans. It captures ‘metadata’ for every transaction, which includes sensitive information like who retrieved the file, the person who requested the file, date and time when it was accessed and the number of copies printed. Not only does it manage confidentiality, but it also meets the HIPAA privacy regulations.
3- Accessible through mobile devices
The digital world is seeing a rapid shift in the way people access information. Today, roughly 57% of all internet traffic comes from smartphones and tablets, which proves that people prefer mobile engagements over desktop devices.
A paperless medical industry offers the benefit of instant connectivity to doctors and patients alike. All they need is a device connected to the internet and they can get access to the data in no time. Never again will a patient have to rush back home before an urgent appointment with a shoulder surgeon just to fetch a forgotten X-ray.
4- Improves patient experience
Paperless health care mostly relies on digital methods to transmit files. These transmissions are made secure through passwords and encryption. It also makes sure that test results are delivered almost instantly. There are no more routing errors, lost documents and delayed test results in an electronic system.
Moreover, patients suffering from multiple conditions find it easier to manage their records in a digital platform. The reports are easier to collaborate among multiple specialists and create a sense of trust in the patient that their condition is being well monitored.
5- Data remains safe
With a paperless healthcare system, there would be no more episodes of losing important document- both for health providers and patients. In many cases, someone loses an essential document and it impacts the whole system.
Once the healthcare staff and patients experience the ease provided by a paperless system, there will be no looking back. The switch is beneficial forhealthcare providers and patients alike. For instance, digital files can be sent to external sources for consultation quickly and efficiently even if it is hundreds of miles away.
Conclusion
As mentioned earlier, a paperless workforce in the medical industry offers some drastic advantages. Not only will it save time and money, but will also improve the integrity and access of information between a patient and a doctor.
Healthcare officers are able to track patient information easily and make updates with a single click. On the other hand, patients can set reminders for their upcoming appointments and check on their health insurance claims’ status. Integrated specialists and timely test results ensure that patients are being provided with the best possible care.
Going paperless brings down the risk of human error to a great level. The good news is that automated hospital care systems can also improve quality of care. However what is important to understand here is that it is a relatively new technology and it will take some time to implement it in the mainstream medical industry. Many forward-thinking healthcare organizations now maintain an EMR system and witnessed an increase in their productivity levels as the result. The key is to look for a system that is HIPAA compliant and identify where your biggest inefficiencies exist. Talk to your EMR system provider to address your organization’s needs.
Have you decided to go paperless in your organization yet? Share your experiences with us in the comments below: