Healthcare professionals staying updated on industry trends have likely noticed the growing emphasis on scanning medical records. The demand for scanning service providers and software solutions is unprecedented. Some healthcare offices are hiring temporary staff to handle scanning volumes, while others are restructuring to create dedicated scanning departments. The need for high-quality scanning is particularly evident for patient charts, with facilities prioritizing maximum clarity.
Hidden Costs of In-House Scanning
However, many healthcare offices overlook the hidden costs of in-house scanning. For example, when purchasing a scanner, businesses often focus on the Pages per Minute (PPM) value, which indicates the scanner’s capacity under optimal conditions, such as lower resolution and smaller page sizes. What is often ignored is the daily duty cycle—the scanner’s ability to produce multiple scanned pages per day. In real-world settings, scanner output is typically about one-fourth of the advertised PPM due to factors like software glitches, sheet jams, or complex indexing. These issues are similar to fuel efficiency claims for cars, which don’t reflect actual driving conditions.
In-house scanning can lead to reduced output and additional costs, including:
- Equipment maintenance and regular servicing
- Software installation and upgrades
- Personnel training
Despite concerns about an economic slowdown, labor costs continue to rise, making the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) approach to scanning patient medical records less cost-effective and time-efficient. The hidden costs and liabilities of in-house scanning often outweigh the perceived savings. For strategies to reduce scanning expenses, see Reducing Cost to Scan Medical Records (New York Document Scanning resource) [3]. According to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) [1], ensuring accuracy and compliance in health information management is critical when evaluating scanning methods.
Risks of In-House Scanning
Physicians relying on in-house scanning may end up with mediocre chart quality due to the lack of trained technicians. In contrast, professional scanning service providers allow quality issues to be promptly reported and resolved. While hiring temporary staff may seem cost-effective, it comes with significant drawbacks, such as:
- The need to monitor temporary staff, increasing personnel costs
- Lower responsibility levels among transient employees, heightening risks of malpractice lawsuits and HIPAA penalties
- Transient employees’ limited understanding of the importance of high-quality scans for HIPAA compliance
As noted in the NCBI’s article on scanning medical records [2], the risks of incomplete or inaccurate records can also impact patient safety and compliance standards.
Some Solutions Emerge
Reputable medical image and document scanning companies guarantee quality through auditing measures, ensuring organized and accurate conversion of paper medical charts into digital formats. These professional providers offer customized on-site and off-site scanning solutions.
They can manage various types of medical data, including billing, carrier correspondence, lab results, prescriptions, physician notes, and imaging test results. Additionally, professional scanning services handle indexing, secure database storage, and ensure easy access and retrievability of scanned data.
According to the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) [4], outsourcing document management to certified providers can significantly reduce compliance risks while improving accessibility.
References
- Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) (.gov)
https://www.healthit.gov/ - Scanning Medical Records – NCBI PMC Article (.gov)
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC264437/ - Reducing Cost to Scan Medical Records – New York Document Scanning (.com)
https://www.new-york-document-scanning.com/reducing-cost-to-scan-medical-records/ - American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) – Document Management & Imaging Toolkit (PDF) (.org)
https://www.ahima.org/media/4y1buocf/document-management-and-imaging-toolkit_axs.pdf