By Stacey McCoy, Senior Editor
Thursday March 1, 2007

To really understand why federal Health IT changes are necessary, just imagine warehouses filled with rows and stacks of boxes of paper medical records, an intimidating image when you think about having to find a particular piece of information. Now, picture the future of healthcare, where information can be accessed anywhere almost instantaneously, an invaluable ability, especially in the case of an emergency.

This future is not merely a dream to those on Capitol Hill and in the White House. They have mandated that medical records be made electronic and standardized, so that information can be easily shared and updated across the vast healthcare system. As the new year begins, we are hearing more and more about Health IT, which certainly means changes are coming soon.

Yet, it is up to IT and imaging companies, like Ecompex, to use our advanced technology to make this dream a reality, by creating interoperable databases of electronic records.

To accomplish the goal of making information more easily accessible to doctors and patients, paper records will have to be converted into electronic format and placed into databases that can be easily accessed from anywhere. This will be no small feat considering the enormous amount of records that exist already, with new ones being created every day. It will also require the best and most efficient imaging and processing technology available, to maintain the integrity of the information.

In addition to document conversion, there is a need for the standardization of records, for interoperability. At the present, records can come in any number of formats, making it difficult for information to be transferred and understood, despite the frequency with which the average American relocates or travels. To alleviate this problem, the government will have to create standards for the creation of records and management systems will have to be created that will be able to understand various types of documents.

While standardized and interoperable electronic health records will vastly improve the healthcare system by creating a permanent archive of easily accessible records, some concern has been voiced about security. New technologies create new ways for identity thieves and other unauthorized people to gain access to personal information, which means that the government, and the IT companies that provide the technology, have a responsibility to provide the best possible security, so private information stays between patients and doctors.

As a solutions provider, Ecompex offers Document Conversion Services and innovative technologies that will lead the way in this kind of information processing. With our cutting edge technology, we have been able to bring our customers highly accurate processing of information, while saving them numerous hours they would have spent on processing paper records. We also provide excellent security for all records that we process and software that we offer. We offer services for imaging and documenting records, as well as managing information once it is electronic. It is technology like ours that will pave the way for efficient and interoperable e-health records systems, which will dramatically change the way Americans receive their healthcare.

For further information, contact Ecompex’s Communications Manager, Jesse Lake at jesse.lake@ecompex.com