Technology: Paperless? Not Quite.
Even with an EMR, you may still be caught in a blizzard of paper.
By Robert Anthony You’ve read the articles, you’ve talked to a half-dozen EMR vendors, and now you’re ready to move your practice into the future. Everyone is doing it, and so should you. It’s time for your practice to go completely paperless.
But before you throw out all of your patient charts, maybe you should stop and ask yourself: Is it possible to get rid of all your practice’s paper? Is paperless really even that great?
“What’s the matter with paper?” asks Physicians Practice’s own Pamela L. Moore, PhD, CPC. “If you could run an office efficiently and lucratively using clamshells or chocolate bars, I don’t care.”
Don’t start asking patients to pay with candy just yet. But you can use this opportunity to evaluate your practice’s goals: Where do you want your practice to go, and how is paper holding you back? Continued...