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Document Management as a Downtime Solution
Friday, September 3rd, 2010By Greg Park
Seventy Five percent of you reading this post will experience a major system downtime within twelve months. More than half will be down more than an hour, and a smaller percentage will experience a downtime in excess of twelve hours.
Patient perceptions, staff satisfaction, decreased revenues and adversely affected quality measures are byproducts of a major system downtime, and must be addressed by every provider.
Data and platform redundancy are obvious responses to this situation, but for many hospitals maintaining hot-sites with real-time redundancy is too much expense while managing the resources required implementing Meaningful Use of certified EHR’s under ARRA. read more…
Paper Data Breach Hits Four Hospitals
Thursday, August 19th, 2010
Health Data Management published an article this week about a paper data breach that hit four hospitals recently.
Four community hospitals in Massachusetts and their associated pathology practices are investigating major breaches after tens of thousands of paper pathology records were found at a recycling station by a Boston Globe photographer who was dropping off his trash.
Unfortunately paper data breaches like this are far too common. Although they should be easy to avoid, that isn’t always the case. How secure is your paper? What audit procedures do you have in place to track compliance?
With RAS this process is simple. Everything that can be captured electronically is sent to RAS and stored in a secure and encrypted system. Any data requests are granted based on role based permissions. All requests are tracked so you can easily determine who viewed, printed or emailed a report. These permissions can be granted or restricted based on your organizational policies. Your information is made available instantly throughout your organization through a secure web browser.
The dumped records appear to be pathology reports from 2007 to early 2010, which include names, addresses, dates of birth, diagnoses, insurance policy numbers and Social Security numbers.
Contact Us today so we can show you how to protect your data. You can be live with RAS in under 30 days.
What is Workflow Automation?
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010The dictionary describes automation as the technique, method, or system of operating or controlling a process by highly automatic means, as by electronic devices, reducing human intervention to a minimum. If you ask people to describe what automation is, you will get many varied responses.
Henry Ford’s version of automation was revolutionary in history. By driving the manufacturing process via the assembly line, productivity was skyrocketed, employee wages were much higher than average, and Ford became a leader in the industry. Many advances in automation have been made since the early 1900’s.
Automation in its simplest form is all about efficiency. By taking repetitive tasks and minimizing or eliminating those tasks, people will become more efficient increasing productivity.
At DB Technology, we specialize in Workflow Automation. Managing a business process through a series of automated steps is Workflow Automation. I am not speaking about Business Process re-engineering. DB Technology will enable you to improve your existing business process by minimizing or eliminating a series of tasks that your people perform today.
Make your people more efficient. Employ Workflow Automation and give DB Technology a visit.
Final Rule Meaningful Use
Thursday, July 15th, 2010
On Tuesday July 13 the Department of Health and Human Services released its much anticipated definition of “Meaningful Use” and set standards for electronic health record incentives.
The Medicare and Medicaid EHR incentive programs will provide incentive payments to eligible professionals and eligible hospitals as they adopt, implement, upgrade or demonstrate meaningful use of certified EHR technology. The programs begin in 2011. These incentive programs are designed to support providers in this period of Health IT transition and instill the use of EHRs in meaningful ways to help our nation to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of patient health care.
The 864 page definition document will take us a few days to interpret, but at first glance it appears the government has softened expectations from the original draft. Providers who have not adopted CPOE will breathe a collective sigh of relief, as physicians can rely on transcribers to enter orders and still comply with CPOE requirements.
As we review this document in detail we will keep you updated on any information we believe is important, and please share your thoughts and ideas with me at gpark@dbtech.com.
John Wooden
Monday, June 7th, 2010
John Wooden and UCLA basketball will always be associated with one another. Under Coach Wooden, UCLA had the greatest success in the history of college basketball and possibly all of sports. His teams won the NCAA championship 10 times in 12 years, 88 games in a row, and 4 undefeated seasons. He is inducted into the College Hall of Fame both as a player and a coach.
For all of his success in the world of basketball, he has had more impact outside of basketball. He taught life lessons to young men that translates well into lessons for all. His lessons on being prepared are simple yet unparalleled in their effectiveness. Start with the fundamentals, be true to yourself, and do the right thing are some of his credo’s.
Some of my favorite quotes from Coach Wooden:
- Be quick, but don’t hurry
- Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Below is the famed John Wooden Pyramid of Success. It should be a model for all to follow.
John Wooden is a true American hero. Thank you Coach.
Charlie Wilson is the CEO of DB Technology located in Clark, NJ. DB Technology is a provider of document management solutions, including document imaging, workflow and electronic forms.
Red Flag Regulations Extended To 12/31/10
Tuesday, June 1st, 2010The FTC has delayed enforcement of their Red-Flag regulations. Each deadline has been delayed and providers are inconvenienced with a new false-start. This latest delay maybe the final one as the AMA seeks permanent exclusion for physicians, dentists, veterinarians and accounting offices within the regulation’s scope.
The Federal Trade Commission said Friday it will push back the Red Flags Rule deadline to December 31, 2010, as Congress considers legislation that would affect the scope of entities covered by it.
Officials said today’s announcement and the release of an Enforcement Policy Statement do not affect other federal agencies’ enforcement of the original November 1, 2008, deadline for institutions subject to their oversight to be in compliance. read more…
Ten Excuses Not To Consider Document Management
Friday, May 28th, 2010By Phil Sullivan
Last year, John Mancini published Ten Excuses Not To Consider Document Management. It is an excellent read and still holds true today. The entire article can be found here but the list also appears below.
John’s Handy-Dandy, Top-10 Excuses to Avoid a Document Management Resolution#1: If we need to, we can usually find it. We usually can find the information we need when a customer calls. Sometimes it takes a while, but once we send out an email to all staff asking for the information, it usually shows up after a bit.#2: No one will ever sue us. Who would ever want to sue us? I’m sure if push comes to shove we could find whatever we need to defend ourselves. Let’s not go looking for problems.
#3: We’ve got to pick our battles. Even if it’s true that organizations typically spend $20 in labor to file a document, $120 in labor to find a misfiled document, and $220 in labor to reproduce a lost document, it’s chump change to us.
#4: Green/schmeen. Who cares if the average document is photocopied 19 times? Not my problem. I’ve got more important things to worry about.
#5: It’s good for staff to be busy. We understand that professionals can spend up to 50 percent of their time looking for the right information. That’s what we pay them for.
#6: It’s easier to just get everyone together in person. If my staff needs to work together on a project, we find it more productive to send everybody a draft in advance and then have everyone fly in for a few days and sit together with all of the different versions and just hammer out the details. Plus everyone likes staying in hotels and having nice dinners.
#7: Our business isn’t located on a flood plain or anything. Sure, when we see all those paper documents floating around after a flood on the news, we feel bad for those people. But we’re not located in a place where disasters happen.
#8: Information security just isn’t at the top of our list. Yes, we lock the doors at night. And yes, we keep the HR files locked. And yes, we use passwords on our computers. But we need to be flexible. If people want to take information home and work on it on their home computers, that’s a good thing. We trust our employees.
#9: Change is expensive. When I need to get an invoice approved, I just put it in the right department’s mailbox at the front desk. They usually pick it up in a few days and sign it. We file it and then every few years pack up the old files and send them to off-site storage. Why spend money to automate something this simple?
#10: This information management stuff is just too squishy. Managing our financial assets is important to us, so we invested in a top-notch financial system. Managing our people is important, too, so we invested in HR systems. But information is just not as critical. And managing it seems so complicated.
If information security isn’t at the top of your list, you should call us so we can explain why it should be. If you think change has to be expensive, let us show you how simple and cost-effective it can be to implement a document management system.
RAS has been enabling people to work more efficiently for years. It is time for you to see the benefits first-hand.
Fraud Resulting From Electronic Medical Record Theft
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010By Phil Sullivan
ARMA International reported a very troubling healthcare statistic. Fraud Resulting From Electronic Medical Record Theft Doubled in 2009.
Fraud resulting from exposure of health data has risen from 3% in 2008 to 7% in 2009, a 112% increase, a recent Javelin Strategy & Research report found. There were more than 275,000 cases of medical information theft in the United States last year, which means there were an estimated 19,250 cases of fraud resulting from stolen health records in 2009.
“Information such as social security numbers, addresses, medical insurance numbers, past illnesses, and sometimes credit card numbers, can help criminals commit several types of fraud. These may include: making payments from stolen credit card numbers and ordering and reselling medical equipment by using stolen medical insurance numbers,” InformationWeek reported.
As the use of electronic medical records increase, so will incidents of related fraud. Further, James Van Dyke, president of Javelin Strategy & Research, said, “We think medical providers aren’t up to the task. They won’t have security best practices in place to match the incidents of fraud, and we think theft of personal health information is going to get worse.”
An increase of 112% in one year is very unsettling. What is you doing at your facility to protect yourself from Electronic Medical Record Theft? DB Technology offers a Red Flag solution that allows you to verify patient photos and report suspected breaches at the point of registration.
On May 19, 2010 you can attend a complimentary webinar that highlights the Red Flag solution. On June 1, 2010, the Federal Trade Commission will require all healthcare providers develop programs to protect against identity theft. At the point of registration the patient’s image can be captured, stored and compared for use in identity verification.
There is still time to put your solution in place.
Phil Sullivan is the Director of Technology and Marketing for DB Technology. He originally joined DB Technology in 1999 and is responsible for the development and execution of DB Technology’s marketing, technology and social media initiatives.
Visiting Customers
Thursday, April 29th, 2010By Charlie Wilson
The best part of my job is visiting our fantastic customers. Customers are the ultimate report card and the feedback is always welcome and needed. Listening to the creative ways that people are benefiting from RAS always warms my heart. Document Management has evolved and people continue to amaze me with their ideas.
This week I spent my time on the West Coast speaking with customers, future customers, and software partners. Having lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for 1/3 of my life, it was good to be back on the West Coast. Thank you to all that provided feedback during the customer forum.
Listening to your customers is an important part of any good company. How does your market offering benefit your customers? Where are the shortfalls? Where is the market direction? Without an understanding of how your customers are using your solutions, without soliciting your customers’ opinion of future requirements, and without an understanding of the overall market, you cannot build a roadmap for your company.
Go speak with your customers. They are great.
Charlie Wilson is the CEO of DB Technology located in Clark, NJ. DB Technology is a provider of document management solutions, including document imaging, workflow and electronic forms.
Document Scanning and Capture
Tuesday, April 27th, 2010By Phil Sullivan
Doug Miles wrote an excellent article on document scanning and capture. The original article can be found on aiim.org and also appears below. Some highlights that are worth noting:
- Only 38 percent of paper-originated records are scanned and archived electronically
- 51 percent of scanned documents are 100 percent “born digital,” i.e., come direct from a printer
- 46 percent of users report return on investment within 12 months, with two-thirds seeing returns within 18 months. These are consistent across many types of content and processes, with invoices, contracts and application forms being the most popular
— Doug Miles
The term “capture” covers the combined processes of document scanning, image correction, recognition of text, barcodes, form fields, etc. and finally, output to an appropriate format for subsequent processing or archive storage. For 20 years or more, capture has been the entry point for document store-and-retrieve systems and increasingly for forms processing, read more…