Taking Your Medical Office Paperless... What'S Stopping You?

With all the benefits that come with a paperless office, why isn't every doctor's office across the country jumping on the electronic document management "Paperless Office Train"?

Truth is, like most people, doctors have a list of reasons why they're not ready to make the leap to paperless'

1. The thick paper "hard copy" chart is very comfortable for clinicians and the transition from paper to electronic can be emotionally traumatic.

2. Implementing an electronic medical records (EMR) system seems like an insurmountable project and they don't know where to start.

3. It is too expensive - the additional hardware such as printers, computers, scanners etc. can quickly out-distance the moderate cost for the software itself.

4. They're worried that their computer might crash with all of their patient's medical records and then they are unable to retrieve that information.

5. Clinicians are worried that the confidentiality of the medical records could more easily be compromised with an EMR system.

6. Learning a new system will decrease productivity and ultimately waste money.

While these are all valid concerns, implementing the ideal "paperless office" isn't as daunting as it seems, and such EMR systems pay off greatly in the long run.

Still not convinced?

Take a look at the concerns once again, each with its coordinating response:

1. The thick paper "hard copy" chart is very comfortable for clinicians and the transition from paper to electronic can be emotionally traumatic.

• While the paper chart can be a comforting aspect for many clinicians, studies show that 30 percent of the time there is difficulty in finding patients' charts. Once you are able to retrieve the chart ' finding the information within the chart can also prove challenging.

2. Implementing an EMR system seems like an insurmountable project and they don't know where to start.

• Once an EMR system is implemented, patients' charts can be linked with their billing records, pharmacy info, etc. and will make both your life and your office staff's lives easier.

3. It is too expensive - the additional hardware such as printers, computers, scanners etc. can quickly out-distance the moderate cost for the software itself.

• While quantifying the Return on Investment (ROI) can be difficult ' an average office spends almost $16,000 every year (cost of time and supplies) on maintaining paper documents in their office while the first year cost for an EMR system costs about $3,000. Do the math ' by 3 months you're EMR system is paid for.

4. They're worried that their computer might crash with all of their patient's medical records and then they are unable to retrieve that information.

• Backup your computer with a remote data backup system. Your documents are safe, secure, and automatically updated when any changes are made.

5. Clinicians are worried that the confidentiality of the medical records could more easily be compromised with an EMR system.

• Security measures are offered through whichever EMR service you decide to go with, and there is also tight security monitoring that can be implemented when you backup your data.

6. Learning a new system will decrease productivity and ultimately waste money.

• The goal of the electronic medical record is to improve efficiency. While it may be slow for the first little while, eventually it will improve efficiency ' saving your practice thousands every year.

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