All Island Gastroenterology & Liver Associates, P.C.

Challenge

Founded in 1990, All Island Gastro (AIG) is a multi-physician practice that specializes in the treatment of all gastrointestinal, liver and nutritional disorders. Located in Long Island, NY they offer in-office, hospital and surgical center services.

In July 2008 the practice installed an EMR system to handle charts for active and new patients. After implementation, AIG recognized many business efficiencies from managing electronic files, yet they were still dependent upon paper-based systems to maintain clinical records and auxiliary documents. Consequently, file cabinets, storage shelves and boxes filled the office. Patient files and hospital-based charts could take hours to retrieve, particularly when patients had not been seen for an extended period of time. Also, scanning and indexing new patient files into the EMR system was inefficient.

Eager to expand their services with an additional physician, AIG knew big changes and preparations were in store. With paper files taking over the office, they would either have to relocate to a bigger space or find a way to better manage their paper in order to clear out a storage room, eliminate file cabinets and make more office space. Plus, they needed to convert the new physician’s patient charts into digital format and integrate them into the practice’s EMR system. All this needed to be done without jeopardizing access to the new physician’s files. He and his staff needed off-site access to patient information until the transition was complete.

Solution

AIG had a tall order. Not only did the team need to scan active patient charts and integrate them into their EMR system, they needed multi-location access to records and enhanced efficiency for document retrieval and improved customer service.

Michaella Faella, AIG’s Practice Administrator, chose Digitech Systems’ PaperVision Enterprise, because she liked the full-featured ECM solution, its ease of use and seamless integration options. She also liked the fact that Digiscribe, a Digitech Systems reseller, could provide installation, training as well as scanning services to efficiently and cost effectively convert their archived patient records into electronic files.

In 2009, Digiscribe accurately scanned and indexed more than 100 boxes of patient files and quickly loaded active and new patient charts into PaperVision Enterprise, the on-premise ECM software. They also converted all the new physician’s files and uploaded them to PaperVision Enterprise. Digiscribe also uploaded the new physician’s files to ImageSilo, the Software as a Service (SaaS) ECM model. ImageSilo provides the same software capability as PaperVision Enterprise, but it also enables customers to outsource data storage and securely retrieve documents online. With ImageSilo, the new doctor’s staff had a temporary solution that allowed them to remotely access patient information via the internet until the move was complete.

Benefits of this Digiscribe Solution

• Gained 4,000 hours each year in staff productivity, worth $100,000 annually
• Efficiency increases enabled doctors to see 25 more patients each week
• Avoided hiring a part time employee, saving $25,000 annually
• Removed filing cabinets and cleared storage rooms to make space for a new doctor
• Increased revenue 50% by adding a doctor to the practice
• Saved at least $35,000 by outsourcing paper scanning and indexing services

The ECM solution and the existing EMR system were integrated using Digitech Systems’ simple integration tool. With the push of a button in the EMR software, doctors and staff can easily access any scanned patient record stored in PaperVision Enterprise.

AIG was able to manage more electronic documents, free up space, merge new physician files and improve productivity. The rolling file storage shelves and walls of file cabinets were eliminated, clearing space for growth. And within just days, employees were using their EMR system to instantly retrieve electronic patient files from PaperVision Enterprise.

Now, employees have immediate electronic access to archived and active patient files, Explanation of Benefit (EOB) forms, patient billing documentation, accounting records and pathology lab logs. Powerful search capabilities reduce information retrieval times from hours to minutes to enhance productivity. There are no more file boxes for staff to search through, and AIG’s Wide Area Network (WAN) provides secure patient records access to satellite offices and surgery centers. As a result ten AIG staff members collectively gained 4,000 hours of productivity each year, a value of $100,000 annually. With added efficiency, the practice has more time to set aside for appointments, enabling doctors to see 25 more patients each week.

With a single solution, AIG made room for the new doctor and saved money. The new physician increased revenue by 50%. Outsourcing the document scanning and imaging services with Digiscribe saved $35,000 in annual personnel costs. Additionally, the streamlined business process helped AIG avoid hiring more staff. “I thought we would need another full-time employee to handle the increase in administrative tasks, but we don’t. Now we can do the same amount of work with just one part-time employee. PaperVision Vision Enterprise has made our ridiculous records situation far more manageable and much more efficient,” said Faella.