The survey of 200 health information professionals also looked at how hospitals are scanning paper patient records to make a full transition to EMRs. Forty-nine percent of respondents said they’ve scanned the paper records they need within their budget, and 72 percent rely on full-time employees to scan documents. After scanning is complete, 58 percent said they will shred the paper records, while 38 percent will store the records onsite or in an offsite facility, the release said.
“Reaching those [meaningful use] incentives involves changing the way paper records are used and accessed by hospitals, a process that leaves most hospitals in a prolonged period of using ‘hybrid’ records — both paper and electronic,” said Ken Rubin, senior vice president and general manager for healthcare at Iron Mountain, in the release. “Without a formalized and efficient process for scanning records, many hospitals will struggle in this hybrid period to manage their records scanning process and drive physician utilization of a fully-electronic EMR system.”
Read the news release on EMRs and paper records.
Related Articles on EMRs:
U.S. News: 24% of Hospital Executives Extremely Concerned About Costs of Full Transition to EMRs
EMR Costs May Widen Gap Between Physicians and Hospital System in Florida’s Lee County
Digitizing Healthcare Involves Grasping the Scope, Finding Value of EHR Data
