I am old. My charts are old. We have lots of them. (Correction, HAD lots of them)!!
We treated Amazing Charts as a new practice. We scanned in whatever we wanted on the first visit. Typically the last lab, Mammo and EKG. Most x-rays. NO NOTES. We entered a good problem list and Fam/Soc. history by reviewing the chart. ALL OF THE REST OF THE CHART, (and all charts that are inactive) are scanned into as system called, "capture perfect". That is just a data file system that came with a Canon Scanner we bought.
On the relatively rare occasions that I need something old, I open the file in Capture Pefect, (labeled with the Amazing Chart number or the Old system number if they have not been in since we went live)and then I just flip through the one or two hundred pages in the chart. They are stacked in the hopper in the order that they come out of the chart. You can flip the pages as fast as you click the mouse. You go like stink until you start seeing labs, then you slow down and read the dates, or whatever. If the patient had 5 (or more!) volumes of paper chart, we load one on top of the other, so you will go like stink, slow down and read the dates, if it ain't there, then go like stink to the next group of appropriate appearing blurs.
It works GREAT. Then you print it, use it, scan the pages into AC and shred them.
We have less than 100 feet of shelving still containing charts, NO OVERTIME was used, and we emptied all the old charts out of storage 1 year ago.
Hope this helps.
