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As more hospitals, medical offices and other health care purveyors consider the advantages of scanning medical records, there is a groundswell of evidence underscoring this document management method is a smart move. Here we’ve compiled some of the top reasons why scanning medical records can be a boon to the reputation, profitability, and sustainability of your organization.

When dealing with paper claim files, an audit can become a veritable nightmare, particularly when searching for specific files that you need and comparing and sharing information. Not only will it take longer and require greater effort and possibly man-power, but you may also find that the audit does not conclude in a way that is conducive to you. To ease and expedite an impending audit or the possibility of an audit, you can turn to scanning document services to make the process far more streamlined.

Hospitals, medical practices and others have turned to scanning technology as a primary means of managing healthcare claims data given the copious benefits this provides. In a marketplace where it’s critical to maintain a competitive edge, the scanning of claims data can make a mission critical impact on a company’s productivity and profitability, and put them light years ahead of organizations mired in hard copy claims processing.

Hard copy claims can add up to a mountain of paper that,  while seemingly innocuous, can lead to many issues including increased costs, decreased efficiency and an adverse impact on the customer experience. This is why a paperless office system is growing in popularity, fostering a host of benefits for companies who have pitched the paper. Let’s look at the differences between an office with a paper system and one that has gone paperless.

When looking at ways to increase customer retention, one often overlooked opportunity is improving the claims processing function.  Why it may be somewhat less intuitive, claims processing has a notable impact on customer perceptions and overall level of satisfaction that, when favorable, can minimize churn while also directly impacting a company’s image in the marketplace at large.

The debate as to whether healthcare document imaging is good or bad for medical offices has been a focus of the medical industry for the last few years. In addition to published research findings, various medical industry pundits have weighed in with their personal and professional opinion on the emerging healthcare document imaging paradigm. All of this dialogue has resulted in both positive and negative feedback about the practice.

In looking to streamline and digitize files as part of the movement toward paperless medical offices, one question often considered is whether it is beneficial to convert X-rays to a digital format versus keeping X-ray film in paper medical record filing systems? There are actually a number of advantages that can be gained from deciding to convert X-rays to an electronic management system, and it’s easier than you might think.

While it may seem that the phrases “Electronic Medical Records” and “Electronic Health Records” can be used interchangeably, there are distinct differences that set these apart. In a January 2011 article for the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Peter Garrett and Joshua Seidman penned “EMR vs EHR – What is the Difference?”

The Value of Medical Record Scanning

Among the top five tools to make an office paperless, Mashable validated online record keeping as a valuable tool. As the article noted:

With so much money spent on training claims adjusters, it makes sense to consider claims handling best practices that can help organizations achieve the best possible outcomes from such an investment. A July 2011 blog post by Chip Merlin on the Property Insurance Coverage Law Blog, entitled, “Public Adjuster Claims Handling Best Practices,” cited six specific claims handling best practices for claims adjusters that are beneficial to share. These include the following: