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Digital Record Scanning Basics And Technology

The conversion of paper records into digital records is called Digital Record Scanning. It allows for the data to be stored in files and be accessible to computerized systems and software. This is of course one of the obvious benefits, but there are many more such benefits, not to mention legal requirements to do so.

The biggest benefit is of course being able to easily access a particular record or set of records without having to sort through a mountain of paper records. It also allows for portability, since digital records can be easily accessed online. Most important, it negates the need for more and more storage space as new paper records keep coming in.

Organizations with deep pockets and large volumes of data might consider setting up a Digital Record Scanning department with all the equipment and manpower required. But it's a lot easier to give out the work to a contractor. It saves the company a lot of money because this work needs a lot of staff and the software/equipment is not cheap either.

A typical example would be a DMV office or a hospital, where drivers/patients are required to fill in a whole bunch of forms and charts, and the staff takes copious notes. All of this paper data has to be instantly (as in within 24 hours) entered into the system to prevent the paper load from piling up. This is a complex process that involves high-speed production scanners and a bar-code recognition system to index and save each scanned document into the appropriate folder.

The main software required is an EMR or Enterprise Document Management system. It controls and manages the categorization and storing of incoming scanned documents into the proper place/folders. Another requirement is the need for optical character recognition software to convert scanned images into editable text files.

In addition to all the equipment and software, digital record scanning also needs an army of low-level data entry/scanning personnel to do all the grunt work. Considering that most companies have been downsizing staffing levels for a decade now, it's not surprising that most of this work gets contracted out. On top of that, there are many legal and compliance issues that necessitate expertise.

For example, medical records being scanned into digital files have to comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Another legislative issue has cropped up recently under the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act (ARRA). This is popularly known as the stimulus bill, and those in the medical sector can benefit from it only if they maintain electronic health records. In other words, Digital Record Scanning is not only beneficial, but also on its way to becoming necessary.

Digital Record Scanning

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