Going Digital

I. INTRODUCTION

II. WHY GO DIGITAL & BENEFITS OF GOING DIGITAL

III. LIMITATIONS IN GOING DIGITAL

IV. STRATEGIES FOR GOING DIGITAL

V. BEST PRACTICES

VI. CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

A digital medical office always seemed in the hazy distant future several years back, but now with the advent of newer technologies it seems to be a reality. Since the 1990s one of the buzzwords was "Digital Convergence"- the digitizing of different media forms - it is no longer a buzzword; it is the number one priority.

Momentum appears to be gaining for the idea of transferring paper medical records to electronic versions, despite concerns over the time and effort, not to mention cost, involved. President Bush has called for the adoption of standards for electronic health records within the next decade.

It is becoming evident, as figures show, many are opting for a paperless vis-à-vis digital office - US paper sales are growing only about 0.5% each year, (down from 6% to 7% annual growth a decade ago). Analysts attribute shrinking paper usage to improvements in digital databases and communications, employment trends and a generation of workers who are more at ease with technology. Many years back, employees were technically novice and their understanding of technology very limited, but now the employees are more open to training and embracing new technologies and in fact in the healthcare documentation sector, many are leveraging technology to streamline their processes, adhere to regulations, increase efficiency, and cut down cost.

One responsibility placed on the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology by President Bush is to create a national standard by which EMR companies will comply. The goal is to create a network across the country for medical information

WHY GO DIGITAL?

There is acceptance in the healthcare community of the need for information technology that reduces cumbersome and outdated paperwork, makes healthcare processes more efficient, reduces medical errors, decreases costs, improves quality of care. Patient safety is the key factor which is driving everybody towards going digital. Large providers also are considering CPOE systems, and small healthcare providers are increasingly implementing mobile order entry systems. e-Prescribing, order entry and the CCR will be the key drivers in the near future.

According to a recent survey, more than 21% of medical practices have already implemented electronic medical record (EMR) systems, while an additional 68% of practice managers are considering installing EMRs. Of those considering an EMR system, approximately 33% said the project would become a priority within the next 12 months, and 34.9% said they would be more likely to prioritize EMRs in the next 13 to 24 months.

Given that healthcare is an information-intensive industry, availability of information anywhere, any time is of prime importance.

"Every American patient should have an electronic medical record by 2015" as part of an executive order released April 27 by President Bush.

In an effort get gain compliance with healthcare regulations and ePHI (electronic patient health information) security, medical practices and hospitals are increasingly wanting to turn digital and paperless.

Computer-based records could be accessed securely from anywhere, and would be less likely to be lost.

Going paperless will quicken disbursements for the physicians and also ease the documentation rigmarole that insurance companies and their staff have to go through every day.

·Eradicate paper, reduce medical errors - not many have understood the real cost of paper - loss of charts, errors, tedious filing and retrieving problems. 86% of mistakes in family care offices involved document-related activities, such as misfiling patient information, prescribing the wrong medication, and ordering incorrect or duplicate tests. Errors related to information access and delivery are among the most preventable of all medical errors. -Source- "A Preliminary Taxonomy of Medical Errors in Family Practice," published by Quality and Safety in Healthcare, 2002

Practice management and electronic medical record (EMR) systems continue to evolve toward more physician-friendly interfaces, while incorporating expert systems and built-in safeguards that help prevent medical errors.

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