AAH selects MedFORCE for document imaging

MONSEY, N.Y. - The HME industry has been crawling towards paperless document management over the past few years, but the principals behind a new agreement between MedFORCE Technologies and AAHomecare hope that it finally touches off a stampede. The recently inked deal designates MedFORCE as the "document imaging provider of choice" for the national association and offers discounts to 3,000 AAH member locations across the United States. The MedFORCE Scan system is designed specifically for the HME industry and takes into account providers' unique and specific document management needs, said CEO Esther Apter. Though HME interest in the MedFORCE Scan system "has been amazing" over the past two-and-a-half years it has been available, Apter figures about 85% of the industry is still totally paper reliant. "Many providers fear that going paperless will be more of a major undertaking than it really is and this causes them to wait for 'the right time' rather than jump in and just do it," she said. Currently on Version 4, MedFORCE Scan replaces existing manual filing systems with a centralized digital system, functioning like the paper files that providers are used to handling. The document imaging system can link with most medical billing software packages available and company officials say it is the only product of its kind that addresses all compliance issues within the healthcare industry. Oakwood Village, Ohio-based Medical Service Co. is among the early adopters of electronic documentation. "It helps you understand how documentation is basically the core of what you do," said Bruce Noll, vice president of finance. "If you can find technology that will automate the process of decision-making for documentation, that is ultimately where you drive productivity. It helps you understand where you are with your documents and the magnitude of what's in the pipeline." Implemented five years ago, Medical Service Co.'s paperless system has produced substantial labor savings from the elimination of filing positions, which was the company's initial motivation for doing it.