We also have a storage shed, and now electronic for 2 years. We started scanning in all the active paper charts. Next, we will start with the most recent stored charts and work backwards, shredding them as we go, and also shredding the charts as they age beyond 7 years. We scan them into a PDF file using Adobe, and have them out on the server in a shared folder, not as part of AC at all. If I want some document from the old chart into AC, I just print it into AC using UpDox. The active charts were indexed in Adobe, but the older ones are just scanned in with no indexing. We typically just shred the files of deceased patients. I shared the reluctance to shred paper, but after I saw how much easier it was to find old information from the scanned charts, I changed my mind. With adequate backups, electronic is about as secure as paper, and it sure beats going out to an unheated storage shed in the middle of winter.
