The Updox Release of Information solution streamlines the process of releasing patient information to other healthcare providers, insurance companies, and the patients themselves. This means that healthcare practices can now securely release patients’ medical records without having to spend hours manually processing requests.
For years, healthcare practices have struggled with managing the release of their patients’ information and medical records. The process can be time-consuming and complicated, leaving practices vulnerable to errors and putting patient privacy at risk.
As a retired neurologist and co-founder of Updox, Dr. Barbash understands the challenges that medical practices face daily. He knows that as medical practices work to manage the constant stream of requests for patient information, they often face inefficiencies when organizing, prioritizing, and fulfilling these requests.
That is why Updox created the Release of Information solution. “It’s about saving the time of the staff because the staff is overworked, they’re overloaded, they’ve got more on their plate than they can handle,” says Dr. Barbash.
In this blog post, we will dive into the Release of Information feature, discussing how it works, its benefits, and how it can help medical practices become more efficient in their release of information and medical records.
What is the Release of Information?
Updox has designed a feature that meets the specific needs of medical practices, offering features that will make their work easier while helping maintain
“To them, this is one more cumbersome task,” Dr. Barbash explains. “And so, if our job is to help them with cumbersome tasks, we’ve figured out how to do that with regard to the frustrating tasks related to the gathering, receiving, and communicating of patient information.”
How does the Release of Information solution work?
Updox offers two essential functionalities that will optimize your medical release workflow: the Release of Information Dashboard and the updated Print to Inbox printer, also known as the Updox Printer.
The Release of Information Dashboard serves as a centralized hub for all your medical records and release of information requests. It facilitates easy collaboration and prioritization among multiple employees, minimizing the risk of overlooking requests and ensuring successful information retrieval for your office.
The improved Updox Printer seamlessly integrates with the Release of Information Dashboard. It enables you to efficiently gather documentation from your EHR or any other source and print it directly to the respective request in the Dashboard.
This eliminates the need to search through the inbox for previously printed documents, as the printer now operates with exceptional speed, ensuring near-instantaneous addition of documents to a request.
Once you have gathered and organized all the necessary documentation, the final document can be conveniently delivered via fax or downloaded for printing and uploading, based on your preference.
When would a practice need to use the Release of Information workflow?
“Maybe they’re switching medical health insurance,” explains Dr. Barbash. “It could be the patient is applying for disability, and they want medical records. Or maybe the person’s going to participate in a clinical trial,” he continues. “Maybe the patient is being referred somewhere that wants to review a large number of records.”
As healthcare professionals, there are various scenarios when you may need to release your patient’s health information or medical records. These scenarios may include:
Treatment purposes
To provide appropriate medical treatment to a patient, healthcare providers may need to share their medical records or patient health information with other healthcare professionals involved in their care.
Legal requirements
Healthcare practices may be legally required to release medical records or personal health information if demanded by court orders, subpoenas, or other legal processes.
Insurance claims
Patients often require healthcare providers to release medical records and information to process their insurance claims.
Required by government agencies
Government agencies responsible for the administration of health programs or oversight of healthcare providers may require healthcare practices to release medical records or personal health information in their possession.
Research purposes
Medical research studies may need to access patient information for research purposes, but only with the patient’s consent and adherence to strict privacy standards.
Employment verifications
Employers may need to verify the health status of employees to determine job offer eligibility, safety, or risk management.
How does the Release of Information workflow benefit healthcare practices?
Handling medical record requests is an integral part of operating a medical practice. However, it can be a tedious and time-consuming task to manually collect, organize, and send the requested information and records.
“The general principle of Updox is that we are trying to help users manage these common tasks that are time and resource intensive and either automate them or reduce steps to make them more efficient,” says Dr. Barbash.
“Updox is making it much easier now to get a package of clinical information out securely over to a clinical practice that a provider would be referring them to,” Dr. Barbash continues. “It markedly reduces the likelihood that the practice would get a bunch of follow-up phone calls or are going to be missing information.”
The Updox Release of Information feature offers numerous benefits to healthcare practices, including:
Optimized and Efficient Workflows
One of the most significant benefits of the Release of Information Dashboard is that it offers an optimized and efficient medical release workflow that streamlines the management of medical record requests.
This means no more hunting through multiple places or sorting through endless paperwork, thereby reducing the possibility of missing requests. The dashboard also enables multiple employees to efficiently collaborate on and prioritize requests, ensuring that all necessary information is successfully returned.
Saves Time
The updated Updox Printer has significantly improved printing speed, allowing you to quickly gather documentation from your EHR or other location, print it to the request in the dashboard, and manage all documents together efficiently. This enables you to promptly handle requests, reducing turnaround times and enhancing patient service delivery.
Enhanced Security
Updox Release of Information feature enhances security, is HIPAA-compliant and provides robust security measures to ensure the safety and privacy of patient information. The final document can be delivered via fax or download, with the printer ensuring that all documents remain in a secure location. This protects the confidentiality and integrity of healthcare information.
Helps Eliminates Paper
Using an electronic release of information solution reduces the risks associated with using paper-based processes, such as document loss, damage, or unauthorized access. The product also reduces the costs associated with mailing, scanning, or copying physical documents, creating a more cost-effective solution for your practice.
Manage Your Release of Information & Medical Records with Updox
Updox’s all-in-one communication platform will help improve your patients’ experience, enhance your practice’s productivity, and organizational profitability, all while seamlessly integrating with most EMRs.
And with the addition of the Release of Information featurepractices will receive even more benefits, including enhanced efficiency, security, and productivity, reduced costs, and reduced risks associated with paper-based processes.
Finally, this product reduces the workload on healthcare practice staff by eliminating repetitive and time-consuming tasks. The centralized dashboard and updated printer provide a streamlined, efficient process that frees up staff to perform other essential duties, such as patient care, improving productivity and office morale.
Updox’s Release of Information solution allows medical practices to focus their attention on patient care, knowing that the release of medical records is in good hands.
