Preparation will smooth the transition to disk
Converting paper records to optical disks is a monumental task. And at price tags that can reach into the millions for state-of-the-art integrated systems that scan both documents and images, it is very important to prepare for a leap into new technology.
The following are tips from health information managers who have already handled a conversion:
1. Do your homework. Those glossy ads in professional journals are a good place to start, but that’s only the beginning. Ask your peers at other hospitals whom they would recommend. Ask to see the technology at work in their organization.
2. Seek out growing companies willing to work with your organization as its information storage and retrieval needs grow.
3. Ask the three or four vendors on your short list to produce references. Talk to their existing customers about the product and services, and their level of customer satisfaction. Make sure the systems you observe are at least as big as your own organization, says Jimmy Prince, healthcare marketing manager at Lanier Healthcare in Atlanta. "There a lot of systems out there that don’t have the architecture to handle a large implementation effectively."
4. Clarify exactly which bells and whistles are included in the price. A vendor should be willing to return to fine-tune the system and exterminate software bugs as part of the price.
5. Coordinate planning efforts with your information systems (IS) director to ensure compatibility. This is not the time to engage in technology turf wars. Patricia Edwards-Capella, system administrator, application administrator, and supervisor of medical records at Dameron Hospital Association in Stockton, CA, talked with her hospital’s director of IS early in the process to make sure that the new system would be able to "talk to" existing hospital computer system. "We decided what would work best between us. I looked at the fact that I’m going to need the IS department. [The IS director] knows interface needs, what type of servers to choose, what type of PCs. You have to think of what’s best for your institution; we’re all going to be part of it."
6. Consider carefully before agreeing to be a beta test site for new integrated systems that include optical scanning technology. Determine if it is right for your organization. Being a beta test site "means you’re going to have all the bugs and all the problems," Edwards-Capella says. "It might be cheaper, but it’s an awful lot of work."
7. Look ahead. How much of the total medical record will be electronic? Chances are your organization is moving toward a completely electronic record. An optical scanning system needs to be able to grow with your anticipated needs.
8. Gauge how willing a vendor is to work with your organization until all the bugs are worked out. Avoid vendors who appear vague or cagey about follow-up technical support or returning to tweak the system.
9. One size does not fit all. Look for vendors willing to "personalize" an optical scanning system to the needs of your hospital or health care system.
10. Investigate how willing a vendor is to "go the extra mile." Edwards-Capella says MedPlus agreed to convert over 1 million documents over a six month period for no charge while she monitored the process.
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