CNEA Question #2. How have the clinics you support dealt with the hybrid environment of paper and electronic charts?

We have tried converting the paper charts to electronic but the process was time consuming and quickly stopped. The next decision was to have providers flag any information that they want scanned in to the chart. Providers rarely flagged information so this was not really implemented either, however the option still stands. It is usually 3-6 months until the chart is no longer pulled. This depends on the providers comfort level and how much information has been electronically captured. This may vary if the patient is being scene by someone other than their Primary provider.

We are considering a separate program to capture the paper information. This would involve a third party scanning in the documents and organizing them for retrieval. This is still under investigation to determine usability and if a benefit is gained.

We are currently in the beginning stages of implementing EHR at a new site and approaching it differently. Providers are given access to the electronic chart for the purpose of adding chronic medications, allergies and active diagnosis about one month prior to them being asked to chart visits in EHR. We are anticipating that the providers will alleviate the need for the paper chart faster than the 6 months because the data is already being build in the patient chart. It is too early in the process to determine if this has made a difference or not.