IRS Encourages Taxpayers to Safeguard Financial and Tax Records

From IRS.gov.  In May, 2006, the IRS released this statement that discusses scanning your financial records as a way to mitigate potential losses due to hurricanes and other natural disasters.

Take Advantage of Paperless Recordkeeping

Many people receive bank statements and documents by e-mail. This method is an outstanding way to secure financial records. Important tax records such as W-2s, tax returns and other paper documents can be scanned onto an electronic format.

“New technologies provide taxpayers with new opportunities to keep their records secure,” said E. Martin Davidoff, chairman, Tax Liaison Committee, American Association of Attorney-Certified Public Accountants (AAA-CPA). “Many people are now receiving bank statements and documents via e-mail. One approach, using a scanner to fill in the gaps of electronic commerce, is to have all financial records in electronic format. By doing so, one can copy all of their records onto a ‘key’ or ‘jump drive’ periodically. Those keys can be sent to a relative in another city for safe-keeping in case one’s normal computer backup systems are destroyed.”

Other options include copying files onto a CD or DVD. Also, many retail stores sell computer software packages that you can use for recordkeeping.

“Disasters such as hurricanes can’t be prevented,” said Dennis B. Drapkin, chair, American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Taxation. “But the disruption they cause can be reduced. Remember to safeguard and backstop your most important records. Store them in a safe place. Back-up your electronic files. Make duplicates where possible and keep them in a separate location.”

Read the entire IRS News Release here: http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=157643,00.html

Don’t Be A Victim. Prepare For Disaster

Studies have shown the most businesses that lose their documents to disasters like hurricane Iris will be shut down within 3 years.  It is very hard to recover without your customer files, employee files, financial records, and other important business documents.  The Scan Man assembled a complete list of documents you should be protecting.

These documents should be scanned and converted to PDF, and stored online.

Business Records

• Incorporation Documents
• IRS Documents
• Copyright / Trademark Records
• State and Federal Tax Filings
• Business Insurance Documents
• Intellectual Property / Non-Compete Agreements
• Accounting Records
• Personal Timesheet and Expense Records
• Vendor Contracts
• Employee Files (Contracts, Reviews, Benefits, Compensation Agreements, Separation Records)
• Checks
• Job Descriptions / Applications
• Client Files

Personal Records and Photos

• Birth Certificates
• Social Security Cards
• Passports
• Drivers Licenses / Photo IDs
• Mortgage Papers / Land Deeds
• Rental Agreements
• Life Insurance Documents
• Health Insurance Cards
• Tax Returns
• Major Donation Receipts
• Financial Records (Stocks, Bonds, Investments)
• Wills, Guardianship, Trust Documents
• Car Titles and Registrations
• Major Purchase Receipts (along with photos of items)
• Medical Records (Health History, Immunization Records)
• Military Records
• School Transcripts
• Marriage / Partnership Certificates
• Death Certificates
• Employment Contracts
• Military / Intelligence Clearance Documents
• Major Life Event Certificates (Baby Naming, Confirmations, Bar Mitzvahs)
• Legal Records
• Loan / Banking Records
• Appraisal Documents

iPad App Replaces Paper Patient Checkin Forms

I’ve been waiting for the day that my physician or hospital hands me an iPad and lets me sing-in on a nice app.  That day is here!

From the pages of Mashable:

Electronic health record (EHR) platform Drchrono just released OnPatient, an iPad application that health care providers can now use in lieu of paper forms and clunky clipboards.

The application allows health care providers to customize patient checkin. Patients can then input their personal, demographic and insurance info, snap a profile photo, review medications and allergies, and automatically keep their records updated.

OnPatient [iTunes link] integrates with Drchrono’s existing suite of iPad EHR services specifically intended to help doctors and health care providers modernize their record keeping processes.

“The OnPatient checkin app digitizes the waiting room and eliminates significant barriers to mass adoption of patient checkin technology by leveraging sophisticated iPad technology,” says Michael Nusimow, co-founder and CEO of Drchrono. “We designed the OnPatient app to be intuitive for both physicians and patient users to create a better patient checkin experience.”

The new application is ambitious in scope — it would require health providers to start handing out pricey iPads instead of cheaper, more disposable clipboards. However, the promise of a paper-free, up-to-do patient tracking system might be enough to entice wealthier medical practices to make the switch.

Drchrono is announcing Thursday that it raised an additional $650,000 in seed funding from DST Global’s Yuri Milner and General Catalyst. The startup previously raised $675,000 from General Catalyst, Charles River Ventures, 500 Startups and Angel investors.

Top 5 worst EMR myths

From the pages of Healthcare IT News.  Rumors about electronic  medical records continue to persist, but one vendor is trying to separate the myths from the facts.

Practice Fusion, a San Francisco-based EMR developer has identified the top five worst EMR myths:

1. EMRs are bad for “bedside manner.” Does a computer ruin the interaction between patients and doctors? The opposite is true, according to a 2010 Government Accountability Office report. The study found that EMRs help doctors have more information about the patient and contribute to better communication. A good EMR allows a doctor to spend more time with a patient and less with paperwork. Plus, patients can get real-time access to their own health records online through the doctor’s EMR system.
2. You can’t teach old doctors new tricks. Although there is an initial learning curve during the EMR adoption process, an easy-to-use EMR can significantly improve workflows once an EMR is fully implemented. Older physicians often lead the charge for an EMR transition in order to prepare their practice for sale when they retire. Tools such as dictation software and customizable templates can help win over even the most technology-adverse docs.
3. Only hospitals use EMRs. While EMRs are more common in large medical facilities such as hospitals, health technology is starting to sweep into smaller private practices. Private practice physicians deliver more than 80 percent of all care provided for uninsured patients and serve as the front-lines for primary care in the U.S. – so getting them to use technology that improves the quality of care is especially important.
4. Having my data stored in an EMR is a security risk. Federal HIPAA regulations are very strict about who can see inside your chart and give your EMR records protection beyond what’s possible with paper charts. In order to open an electronic chart, a medical professional needs strict login permissions. The EMR system tracks each time your records are accessed and backs up data in a safe and secure way so that records are always available to you and your doctors when needed. Plus, Web-based EMR systems protect from disasters, floods, building fires, and tornadoes that could easily destroy paper records.
5. EMRs are expensive. The final myth is actually true a lot of the time. Legacy EMR vendors still charge small medical practices $100,000 or more for software, with additional money spent on hardware and IT maintenance. However, new affordable EMR technology is emerging that is making it easier for small practices to join the technology transformation.