How To Save Money On Health Care Through A Computer System

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1 Save time, save money, save lives BETTER DOCUMENT AND DATA MANAGEMENT FOR THE NHS

2 At a time when funds are scarce, investment in new and improved data management systems can actually create significant savings:

3 #1 SCANNING AND SHARING A reputable data capture company with experience of working within the healthcare sector will understand the guidelines set out in the NHS Code of Practice for Records Management. Converting paper into digital records that can be remotely accessed from a central location will not only save on the cost of stationery and filing systems but will also reduce the cost of posting or faxing documents from one site to another. Staff will no longer need to spend time tracking down files to share between medical professionals, departments, clinics and hospitals. And with the ability to request prescriptions, make appointments and view medical records online, less time will be spent dealing with patient queries leading to reduced administration costs. The ability to share patient histories electronically will relieve health professionals from the pressure to repeatedly gather information and allow them to concentrate on patient care, leading to more productive, time-effective consultations and treatments. A single Summary Care Record, accessible from anywhere in the NHS, will reduce errors that may have occurred due to lost records or from transcribing or relaying information incorrectly. Electronic systems already in place in University Hospitals Birmingham, for example, are being praised for saving as many as 100 lives by drastically reducing prescribing mistakes. The use of specialist, ISO qualified data capture companies to digitally scan existing patient records will help to create a central patient database, allowing information to be more easily shared between departments throughout the NHS. Consultants, doctors and nurses will no longer waste valuable time interviewing patients over and over again simply because their records are in another building. More focussed time with patients will allow medical professionals to be more effective and concentrate on their job rather than the paperwork.

4 #2 STORING Documents awaiting scanning, and indeed those records which must be preserved in paper format as a statutory requirement or for historical value, will still require storage. It makes sense to use a secure off-site document management facility that can also provide a scanning service to avoid transport costs and the potential for loss in transit. As records are transferred into electronic format, space set aside for filing cabinets and storing archive boxes will be made redundant, making extra room available for medical purposes or allowing space rental/storage fees to be better spent elsewhere. Storage in a specialist facility is more cost effective than securing a room within an NHS building that may, at times, only be half full. Professional document management companies barcode items for swift location and retrieval whenever required and as the number of paper files reduces, so will the space and cost. Observing the 1998 Data Protection Act (DPA), which provides strict rules on the handling and storage of personal information, will also prevent patient details from reaching the wrong hands. All records, whether paper or digital, will be held in a suitable place and accessed in a secure manner, only by those who need to see them. Using off-site document storage facilities with CCTV and fire monitoring systems will provide additional peace of mind and release valuable space within NHS buildings which can be allocated to patient care or equipment and medicine storage. Records can be recalled swiftly, whenever they are required.

5 #3 SHREDDING Redundant or expired documents must be disposed of in a responsible manner to protect patient confidentiality. Shredding machinery is expensive to buy and maintain, and time consuming to operate, requiring dedicated staff, space and funds. These are already in place at a specialist shredding company who offer a more economical alternative to in-house shredding. A reputable shredding provider will issue a Certificate of Destruction as proof of service, ensuring an audit trail and legal compliance to satisfy the Information Commissioner and to avoid hefty fines. Paper must be recycled to Waste Management Regulations 2011 and according to each particular NHS Trust s environmental policy; utilising a shredding company will relieve a clinic, hospital or surgery of the cost to recycle.

6 Anyone working in the NHS will agree that paperwork can get in the way of providing quality healthcare. However, to be able to deliver any kind of consistency, records and forms are a necessary evil and, in most cases, provide protection for the health professional as well as the patient. As with any organisation, the lack of an effective document management system can have dire consequences. The worst cases have seen patients receive incorrect treatment due to lack of communication concerning medical conditions, leading to further injury and even death. Reviewing data management systems, and improving access, accuracy and security of data, will inevitably help NHS staff deliver on patient care. Effective data management save time, save money, save lives

7 DATA MANAGEMENT IN THE NHS HELPING THE NHS save time, save money, save lives