Voice recognition, electronic medical records reduce paperwork dependence

The Detroit Free Press (11/10, Anstett) reported that "since August, a new electronic medical records system" has decreased the time healthcare workers spend on paperwork. The gloEMR v4.0 records system includes a "voice-recognition tool" that "immediately turns a" physician’s "dictated notes into a Microsoft Word document.  The system is also hooked up to computer fax software that sends notes to hospital and doctors’ fax numbers entered into the system."  At a cost of "$1,000 a month for the hardware, software, training, and maintenance," staff can add "patient histories, lab results, X-rays and patient education resources" to their laptops.  Also, a "companion feature follows the patient through a visit, indicating their location and time for each office encounter, from when they entered the lobby to discharge." The Free Press noted that a federal mandate dictates that doctors offices must "develop electronic medical records by 2013."

Related link: Integrating Images to Patient Electronic Medical Records through Content-based Retrieval Techniques (http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel5/8605/27272/01212783.pdf)