When a patient has not come into the practice for a certain number of years - the number varies by state - then the data can be classified as destroyable data. For this type, automated data storage features could come in handy. Some systems can automatically flag files that need to be deleted because they have exceeded the time period for storage. Without this feature, you run the risk of keeping too much data on your system, which will slow it down.

Tip 4: Plan for growth

Raymond DeCrescente, chief technology officer with the Capital Regional Orthopaedic Group, a 21-physician practice based in Albany, N.Y., is constantly mindful of data storage issues as his group keeps adding more computer programs to the mix.

When the practice began to shop for new practice management and picture archiving communications systems and as practitioners began to increase their utilization of the electronic medical records system, DeCrescente knew that he needed to assess overall data storage requirements. 

"We always have to have a good handle on our current and future data storage needs," DeCrescente says. "With so much automation, though, I have to make sure that I am always looking at my storage needs as a whole, instead of taking a system by system approach."

The picture archiving communications system, for instance, requires a big chunk of electronic data storage space. "We probably require more than a gigabyte of storage a day just for X-ray images," DeCrescente points out.  

To handle current and future storage needs, DeCrescente chose HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array 5000, a RAID (redundant array of independent disks) electronic data storage system from Hewlett Packard. The system provides the practice with 12 terabytes of storage on multiple hard disks. One terabyte of storage is equal to 1,024 gigabytes. By placing the storage on a RAID, which uses multiple disks, operations can overlap and performance, thereby, improves. 

"The system provides us with a lot of storage. So, we have room to grow. I don't have to worry about other storage options for quite some time," he says. By using just one data storage vendor for all of its computer software systems, the practice is streamlining both costs and processes, DeCrescente adds.

"To have a centralized storage device from one company seemed to be the best solution," DeCrescente says. "This data storage solution will grow with us rather than having separate storage devices for each application that would have storage limits."

Tip 5: Remember the human factor

It's essential to put the right electronic data storage systems in place. But as Melissa Davis, practice manager at Coastal Cardiology Associates, a six-physician practice in Wilmington, N.C., knows, it is equally vital to make measured steps when implementing electronic storage.  

Coastal is using an automated filing system from Cabinet NG, a document management software provider. With this system, the practice continually converts paper documents such as EOBs, patient information, memos, insurance cards, and doctors' notes into electronic formats  - one step at a time.

"We do a little more each year, as we grow more comfortable," Davis says. "In the past 18 months, we started to take bigger steps and are scanning more documents including inactive charts into the online storage system."

The security of electronic data storage is especially important as Davis' practice, like yours, must comply with privacy and security regulations. The regulations specify that access to data must be granted to only those who need it. Cabinet NG only allows authorized users to access certain documents. For example, physicians might have access to complete clinic notes, while office clerks would be restricted to more basic patient information.

Tip 6: Prepare for the worst