Even in a facility that is fully electronic, paper keeps arriving. Hospital discharge summaries, outside lab reports, signed consents, physician orders sent by fax, insurance letters. Someone scans them and puts them into the resident record, and that is where small problems start. A document is saved with a vague name, attached to the wrong resident, filed under the wrong type or sits in a folder waiting for someone to sort it. The nurse who needs it cannot find it, and the record is incomplete during a survey.
Scanning is not exciting, but a consistent process pays off every day. Here are practical ways to close the common gaps. The details of where documents are filed depend on how your system is configured, so adapt these ideas to your own setup.
Before changing anything, watch the process from paper to chart. Ask the people who scan:
Where do documents arrive, and who collects them?
How long do they sit before being scanned?
How is each file named and where does it go?
Who checks that it landed in the right place?
What happens when the resident's identity is unclear?
Look at a sample of recent scans and count how many were misfiled, delayed or poorly labeled. That gives you a baseline.
If scans are saved to a shared folder before being attached to a chart, consistent file names help enormously. Choose a simple pattern and write it down. A pattern might include resident identifier, document type and date, in the same order every time. Avoid names like "scan001" or "doc final." Do not put sensitive details in names that appear in places that many people can see, so use an internal identifier where possible instead of full names.
A document that lands in the right chart but the wrong category is still hard to find. Agree on a short list of document types and what each means. Train staff on the difference between similar categories. Keep the list small, since long lists lead to guessing. Review it periodically with the clinicians who actually look for documents.
When indexing, always confirm identity using at least two identifiers before attaching a document, such as name and date of birth. A wrong-chart scan is a privacy incident and a clinical risk.
Some documents need action, not just filing: a new physician order, an abnormal lab result, a change in insurance status. Establish a clear routing rule:
Documents that require clinical review go to a designated nurse or unit manager the same day.
Business office documents go to that department.
Routine records are filed within a defined timeframe, such as the end of the same shift or day.
Unidentified documents go to a named person, who resolves them within a set period.
Where possible, track items in a queue so nothing disappears, and review the queue daily.
Poor images cause rereads and mistakes. Check that scanners are clean and set to a readable resolution, pages are straight and complete, double-sided pages are captured, and faxes and photos are legible. Confirm that important documents are not cut off at the edge. If a document is unreadable, request a replacement rather than filing it.
Scanning often depends on one person. Plan for vacations and sick days with a backup, and give a manager responsibility for reviewing the process. Short written instructions help cover staff.
Pick a few simple measures, such as the number of documents waiting more than a day, the number of corrections per month and how often a document is found in the wrong place. Review them monthly and discuss patterns with the team.
Scanned paper may contain sensitive information. Dispose of originals according to your retention policy, secure scanners and shared scan folders, remove files from temporary folders once attached and limit who can view them. If scanners send files by email, confirm that the connection is protected.
Sometimes the process is limited by the tools. If staff must re-key information or copy files between folders, ask your system vendor and IT partner whether scanning, barcode cover sheets or other features available in your environment could cut the manual steps.
UnityCare IT helps long-term care operators in Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas review scanner setup, shared folders, security and naming practices as part of managed IT, so documents reach the resident record promptly and accurately.
An outsourced IT department with proactive maintenance and one number to call.
Call or text: 405-285-3845
New customers: start@unitycareit.com
Existing customers: support@unitycareit.com
Address: UnityCare Technologies, 2524 N Broadway Ste 554, PMB 947974, Edmond, Oklahoma 73034-4172