Featured Article: Document Imaging: A Bridge To Healthcare Electronification

By Greg Lusch

To be sure, inefficiencies in access to healthcare information contribute a great amount of wasted time, effort and cost to the healthcare industry and directly impact providers' ability to deliver quality care. Studies show that approximately 15 percent of all healthcare costs can be attributed to administrative tasks, including the handling, storage and distribution of charts, correspondence and other documents. Worse, physicians and clinicians spend enormous amounts of time searching for patient information and maintaining medical records--time that could be spent on patient care.

Recognizing these inefficiencies, President Barack Obama has challenged the healthcare industry to implement electronic medical records (EMRs) nationwide within five years. The administration argues that such a plan is crucial in the fight against skyrocketing healthcare costs. As an incentive, the stimulus package passed earlier this year includes $20B for electronic health records initiatives and large penalties against providers that fail to implement electronic records by 2014.

Patients are supportive of the effort. A study by a research team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston found that patients want full access to all of their medical records and fully expect that computers will play a major role in their medical care, even substituting for face-to-face care.

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