Paper filing systems are still quite commonplace all throughout the United States. After all, paper filing systems have been in place for a very long time now and are not quite so easy to just simply phase out. The data on the subject is clear, showing an immense amount of paper being used throughout the course of a single year. Up to four trillion paper documents, as a matter of fact, will be used throughout the course of just one year here in the United States. This number is actually one that is still on the rise, growing by more than one fifth – by 22%, to be just a bit more specific – over the course of each and every year. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that more than 90 million metric tons of paper are produced by this one country alone in this very same span of time.
But there are many issues that can and do arise when using paper filing systems. For one thing, paper filing systems can take a good deal of time to sort through. While five minutes here and there might not initially seem like all that much time, this is an amount of time that can certainly begin to add up more quickly than not, even beginning to reduce overall levels of employee productivity. In addition to this, lost and misplaced documents can also be a drain on all kinds of resources.
And when we look at the data surrounding paper filing systems, it is clear to see that both lost and misplaced documents are much more commonplace than one might think. In fact, more than 7% (around 7.5%, to be just a little bit more specific) of all documents used in paper filing systems will be totally and completely lost throughout the course of the typical year. And the amount of misplaced documents is even higher, given the fact that up to 15% of all paper documents end up getting temporarily misplaced. It should come as no real surprise, therefore, that paper filing systems are becoming less and less popular with more and more companies and places of work looking to move away from paper filing systems and instead take advantage of other systems of filing and of organization.
The process of converting from paper to electronic medical record has been seen to be particularly common all throughout the country. After all, the end result of this process of converting from paper to electronic medical record is one that can be hugely beneficial to everyone handling these electronic medical records, from nurse to doctor to even the patient in question. For many a hospital, the process of converting from paper to electronic medical record has become more than worth it. For while converting paper to electronic health records can reduce and eliminate many of the issues that are had with various types of paper filing systems. For large medical establishments, converting from paper to electronic medical record might even be essential to remain functional.
And converting from paper to electronic medical record can be essential for telemedicine implementation as well. Telemedicing is becoming more and more widespread in its own right here in the United States, and has made converting from paper to electronic medical records something of an absolute must. After all, paper medical records would make it hugely difficult to provide any form of telemedical services. However, going through the process of converting from paper to electronic medical records can make a world of difference in this regard. This can also help matters of staff augmentation, something that is certainly also not to be overlooked.
At the end of the day, moving away from a paper filing system is certainly something that can benefit a great number of people as well as a great number of businesses and organizations. Through moving away from a paper filing system and converting from paper to electronic medical records, a great deal of both money and time can be saved, making the overall investment into this process more than worth it at the end of the day.
