Scanning Old Patient Records

The advantages of digital health records are well-documented, from repurposing physical space to enhancing patient care. Nonetheless, scanning large volumes of patient records can be time-consuming, expensive, and pose a liability risk due to minor errors. As someone who works at Avantix , I have discovered that medical professionals typically follow these steps to ensure accuracy and efficiency.

Conduct a Thorough Audit

Sort which patient records you want to have scanned, then remove any documentation not required. For example, some doctors only want to scan non-current patient records and have their practice manager remove printed email trails. The benefits of this step include faster loading of digital files, reduced scanning costs, and improved searchability

Choose a Secure Digital Storage Solution

A step commonly overlooked is what you will do with the digital files. If they are going into practice management software you can save time by knowing the bulk-import requirements. If you store digital records in the cloud you could scan them directly. When storing on an external USB or hard drive consider encryption and having multiple copies.

Define Your Naming Convention

Consider how you would likely search for patient records and information within each record as this will assist with the naming convention and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) requirements.

?

In-House vs. Outsourcing

Weigh the pros and cons of in-house scanning versus outsourcing to a third party. Consider financial cost, opportunity cost, time constraints, technological capabilities, and the ability of the individuals to maintain diligence over a prolonged time.

?

Establish Quality Assurance Procedures

Be intentional about how you will check your patient files have been scanned, named, and transferred to your preferred digital storage solution. This should encompass measures to validate data completeness, legibility, and adherence to industry standards.

Scan A Representative Sample - Optional

Select a representative sample of patient records to test the chosen digitisation workflow. This allows for adjustments and fine-tuning before tackling the entire archive. While this is an optional step, it makes small changes easy.

Scan Your Patient Records

Scan using the technical specifications that best suit your needs. Consider resolution, colour vs. black and white, and multi-page PDF structure as a minimum.

Secure Destruction

Once records are digitised and validated, explore secure destruction options for the original paper documents. Ensure compliance with legal requirements and consider methods like shredding or professional disposal services.

?

Conclusion

There are many reasons why doctors choose to scan their patient records. By following these steps, they can seamlessly transition from paper-based records to a digitised system resulting in improved accessibility, freed up space, and streamlined operations.