Can some information be on paper and the rest on EMR?
Today’s EMR technology is not quite at the point where a truly paperless office is possible for small clinics. For larger clinics, it is feasible to hire somebody to scan paper records into the EMR. Most smaller clinics would find it inconvenient and difficult to scan large numbers of records.Many offices have consultant notes, lab reports, hospital discharge summaries and radiology reports on paper and have the patient’s medical history on EMR. This is quite workable. In the future, this information will be downloaded electronically. For example, downloading lab reports directly from the laboratory. Since this is the bulk of information that comes in on paper, it should make a large dent in the paper burden.
