Duke Raleigh Hospital Saves Space, Streamlines Efficiencies and Meets EMR Compliance with Bowman Enterprises

Challenge

Due to the growing legislative push toward a comprehensive Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system in the healthcare industry, Duke Raleigh needed a way to digitize medical records in a cost-effective, time-efficient manner. The software on Duke Raleigh's mainframe server did not permit the hospital to stay up-to-date with records. Accessing records was time-intensive, taking as much as 30 minutes to an hour per record. End users were experiencing difficulty easily accessing and referencing critical records since documents were not stored in one comprehensive location. Duke Raleigh needed a cost-effective, time efficient solution to help them decrease physical storage space, easily locate and reference critical patient records and meet the growing demand for EMR compliance. They found Bowman Enterprises.

Solution

Bowman Enterprises is the leading provider of end-to-end document management services for hundreds of clients throughout the Southeast. Since 1989, Bowman has served as Duke Raleigh's primary document management solution. In late 2008, Duke Raleigh decided to take all hard-copy paper records and microfilmed images from the years 2002-2008 and convert them to EMR using Bowman's high-resolution digital scanning process. Records are packed and purged; then images are digitally converted and hosted on stand-alone executable CDs. Afterwards, images are imported into their mainframe server via Bowman's stand-alone ApplicationXtender viewing solution for in-house storage. Duke Raleigh has quality access to records, including hard records, throughout the conversion process. This key feature is especially critical for obtaining patient records and other crucial documents in a timely manner. In-progress projects are also delivered back to Duke Raleigh on a weekly basis—part of Bowman's quality assurance and quality control guarantee. "When microfilmed images and hard copy records were not an option anymore, Bowman Enterprises was able to help us get up-to-date," said Tammy Crane, director of health information management for Duke Raleigh. "Bowman really focused on quality customer service and making the transition process to EMRs as hassle-free as possible."

Result

Since adapting Bowman Enterprises as its primary document management solution, Duke Raleigh has made the complete transition to EMRs. Bowman currently scans approximately 3 million images for the hospital a year, and all projects are completed in a six to eight-week turnaround time. Using Bowman's more efficient ApplicationXtender in-house software, Duke Raleigh has gone from a 3-week digital image upload to a 1.5 hour upload. Duke Raleigh has also saved significant storage space—approximately 1000 square feet overall, including the complete elimination of one 500 square foot storage facility. Other storage space has been retooled and repurposed, and 2/3 of remaining storage space has been released entirely. Since implementing Bowman's digital imaging process, Duke Raleigh has seen an increase in efficiency and ease of retreivability. Individual records are now easily accessed in a matter of minutes. Also, because all records are electronic, information is stored in one comprehensive location, enabling multiple users—including physicians, nurses and risk management personnel—to easily access information and turn record requests around much faster. Digital imaging has allowed Duke Raleigh to maintain quality assurance of records while increasing efficiencies and reducing information turnaround time. "With Bowman's multi-user function, all end users are able to access critical information at the same time," said Tammy Crane, director of health information management for Duke Raleigh. "The switch to digital images has made all the difference in cost-savings, information organization and quality of patient care."