By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    ACO infographic
    A Closer Look at Accountable Care Organizations [INFOGRAPHIC]
    June 5, 2014
    Medical Residents Get Their Own Social Network
    December 19, 2012
    FDA Social Media Guidance: Hangout on Air
    July 29, 2014
    Latest News
    Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
    June 25, 2025
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 20, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Installing an MU-Certified EHR Doesn’t Mean Saying Good-Bye to Paper
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Hospital Administration > Installing an MU-Certified EHR Doesn’t Mean Saying Good-Bye to Paper
BusinesseHealthHospital AdministrationMedical Records

Installing an MU-Certified EHR Doesn’t Mean Saying Good-Bye to Paper

ShahidShah
Last updated: November 22, 2013 9:11 am
ShahidShah
Share
4 Min Read
EHR and meaningful use
SHARE

EHR and meaningful useAs I travel and speak with physician practices and hospital execs about health IT, I often hear questions about how practices can become paperless as they transition from manual to electronic processes. For those of you that have installed EHRs, you know that going digital does not mean that you’ll be paperless.

EHR and meaningful useAs I travel and speak with physician practices and hospital execs about health IT, I often hear questions about how practices can become paperless as they transition from manual to electronic processes. For those of you that have installed EHRs, you know that going digital does not mean that you’ll be paperless. For those of you that haven’t installed your EHR you’re probably puzzled so let me take a moment to explain why you shouldn’t believe vendors that tell you that you can be completely document-free or paperless in your environment.

  • Patient communications are on paper. The first reason paper does not go away is that almost everything you do with your patients is still document-driven (not data driven). Think about the new patient registration process, the change of address form, the disclosure forms, referral forms, and the myriad other documents that you give to patients to fill out. Once they’re filled out you will enter some of the document’s information into structured fields within your EHR and other hospital information systems but they still need to scanned and otherwise managed for historical and audit purposes because there’s always more information in the paper version than the structure system can store. Making sure you have the right amount of equipment will ensure that the paper is captured appropriately and then discarded or recycled.
  • Practice, Facility, and Physician communications are on paper. Even though we’ve spent billions of dollars working on health information exchanges (HIEs) and Meaningful Use compliance, most of the communication between hospitals and physicians or between physicians is still done via documents or paper. Even if both sides of the communications originate in EHRs or other digital techniques, the documents are often faxed, mailed, or at best sent by e-mail. Just because you’re using e-mail doesn’t mean that documents don’t need to be managed (because the documents sent via e-mails are separate from your EHR).
  • Release of Information (ROI) remains paper-based. When you communicate patient data to law firms or other organizations for use cases such as workman’s comp care most ROI is done on paper.
  • Payers and insurers are on paper. Except for electronic remittances (such as claims or payments), a great deal of communications with payers such as insurance companies and Medicare are done via paper and old fashioned snail mail. When rules or contract terms change there is a great deal of paperwork and documentation exchanged. All of those documents need to be managed appropriately.
  • Government communications and compliance is done on paper. This one is obvious but a good chunk of government communications remains paper-based. Even if it’s faxed or e-mailed, though, don’t forget that you need a good document management approach to ensure compliance.

As you can see, most EHR vendor promises of taking you paperless are far-fetched at best unless they have a solid document management capability built in.

Sponsored by Canon U.S.A., Inc.  Canon’s extensive scanner product line enables businesses worldwide to capture, store and distribute information.

More Read

Driving Your Healthcare Marketing Further in 2016
If Meaningful Use Disappeared, How Would EHR Vendors Change Their Products?
5 Ways Technology Benefits a Seniors Health
Unsustainable Health Care System
Encrypting Health Record Data in Michigan Health Information Exchange

(EHR doesn’t mean going paperless / shutterstock) 

TAGGED:EHRmeaningful useMU
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

women dental care
What Is a Smile Makeover and How Much Does It Cost?
Dental health
June 30, 2025
HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps
Top HIPAA-Compliant Messaging Apps for Healthcare Teams
Global Healthcare Policy & Law Technology
June 25, 2025
recovering from injury
Rebuilding After Injury: Path to Physical and Emotional Recovery
News
June 22, 2025
scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025

You Might also Like

Social Networking for Physicians – Tips and Options

November 15, 2011
Image
Mobile Health

Mobile Health Around the Globe: Scionis Medical, Portuguese Start-Up With Cloud-Based EHR

July 16, 2012

Straight Talk About Medical Malpractice Reform

October 7, 2011
Business

The 3 Essentials To Keep In Mind When Opening An Independent Pharmacy

November 22, 2021
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?