Industry Benefits: Medical Offices
Onsite document scanning can benefit all business types, in any industry, from dentists and lawyers to small business owners and organizations. One of the industries that can see the most benefit, however, is the medical profession.
A medical office is built on paperwork: patients' files, billings, record keeping, and the hundreds of other miscellaneous paperwork that a health care setting requires. This adds up, fast. Most medical offices have walls of file cabinets, with at least one more room dedicated to storing older files and paperwork. Files get misplaced, misfiled and disorganized.
There's a better way to do business. Transferring files to a digital format can streamline a medical office, and improve the care you can offer your patients. It can also improve efficiency and reduce costs.
The most obvious use of onsite document scanning is the potential to digitalize patient files and insurance information.
Picture this. A patient shows up for her appointment. Instead of spending time that morning digging around for her files, the receptionist was able to pull up the files from the computer, and get them ready for the nurses and doctor. The room where files were stored is now an extra examination room, allowing the office to fit in a few more patients each day. The patient's insurance information has already been scanned in to the system from her last visit, so the receptionist only has to ask if the information has changed. It hasn't, so the patient is asked to take a seat.
A short while later, the nurse comes for the patient and leads her back to the exam room. Instead of carrying a chunky file, the nurse brings up the patient's file on a computer set up into the room, which is connected to the main database of files. The files are secure, easily transferred from one room to the next, and allow the medical office to operate nearly paper-free.
When the doctor arrives, he is able to read through the file quickly, performing a search for the information he needs. This saves considerable time that used to be spent flipping through a stack of papers. Any recent test results, scan images or recent treatments from other practitioners in the practice are right in the file, and can be viewed with the click of a button. In fact, thanks to the onsite document scanning services recently obtained through Attella, all of the paperwork on the patient is right at the doctor's fingertips.
The doctor examines his patient, and has the time to discuss her complaint, thanks to the extra time he now has. Patients are happier, and so is he, because he can give better service. This is one of the most significant changes the office has seen since the switch to digital formats; patients feel more informed, doctors and nurses are operating under less stress.
Having the patient's files digitalized means that if the patient needs to see a specialist, or has to be admitted to the hospital, all of those documents are readily available for other doctors, without needing to copy the entire file. The patient's file can be quickly and easily transferred to another doctor, without wasting any time, essential in an emergency. This also works well for doctors who see the same patients in multiple locations. There is no need to transfer paperwork, or to have multiple copies of the same documents for each location.
Billing and invoices can also be digitalized. This prevents the problem of lost invoices, and also helps to organize the office. Inventory sheets can be scanned into the computer, making ordering easier. Information about medications, conditions and treatment options can also be scanned in and then used during appointments or emailed to patients with email accounts. This saves the office from needing to print up several sheets of information when a patient needs to know more about what was discussed during the visit.
HIPAA regulations on patient privacy and security are a huge concern in any medical office. Scanning patient records onto a secure server, and then shredding the physical copies, provides the very best in security and protection for your patients. This also eliminates the chances of misfiled or misplaced files, helping your office to further comply with HIPAA standards.
Paper is an integral part of medical offices and health care facilities, but the space that all of that paper takes up doesn't have to be. Clearing out the paper, by digitalizing and then storing all of the files, can give a medical office considerably more usable space.
The reduction of paper used in a medical office, and the reduced need for storage and filing cabinets, can also add up quickly to a significant reduction in operating costs. Unfortunately, to get this process started, most document management companies require that the files are organized and ready to be scanned, including staples removed and everything boxed up, and very few will actually go to your office to do the work.
That is where Attella is different. Not only will we come to your offices, bringing our own equipment with us, we'll even do all of the prep work for you. There isn't a paper and filing mess that is too great for us to handle. We'll organize all of the paperwork for you, removing staples and taking papers out of binders as we go. We can sort to your specifications, or we can use our own methods, which ever you prefer.
After the papers are sorted, we start scanning. All of your documents are put right onto a computer, and then are transferred to a flash drive, CD, or other hard drive. The physical records are then prepared for either storage or shredding, keeping your patient's information safe.
Medical record scanning is one of the best ways to improve patient care while also cutting costs. Our onsite document scanning service is the perfect way to update your office and cut down on wasted space. We're committed to making sure that your digital files are just as clear as the papers they originated from; no blurring or too light (or too dark) scans. We understand how important details are, and we want to make sure that information you need is easy to read.
At Attella, we know that your customers, patients, and clients come first. Our onsite scanning service helps you to improve the service you offer, without taking up your time and resources to do so. You're in business to help people, we're in business to help you.
