Discharge Filing Feasibility Report

Sarah Wissing

Agenda
The Client The Problem

Solutions
Criteria Findings

Georgia Health Services Network

Medicaid

Provider for Personal Care Homes 70 subcontracted Personal Care Homes 300 current clients 500+ discharged clients

The Problem
Medicaid

requires discharged paperwork to be kept for 7 years. Discharge files do not have a functional filing system. Have exceeded space capacity. State can audit at any time.

Solutions
Option 1: On site storage, no digital backup
Files stored on site in HIPAA approved
No digital backup Employees would access physical files for reference

file cabinets

Solutions
Option 2: On site filing, with digital backup
Files stored in boxes in attic with destroy date
Digital file backup from online cloud service Employees would access digital files for reference

Solutions
Option 3: Off site storage, with digital backup
Off Site storage at local self storage unit
Digital file backup from online cloud service Employees would access digital files for reference

Solutions
Option 4: Outsourced offsite storage, with outsourced digital backup
Outsourced off

site file storage Outsourced digital backup Employees would access digital files for reference Example: Shoreline Records Management

Evaluation Criteria
Legal Risk

Ease of Implementation
Cost Functionality

Criteria
Legal Risk
HIPAA requirements
Secure Storage Not accessible

to public

Ease of Implementation

How much time will it take? Implementation time + training time= hours of labor lost

Criteria
Cost
Total cost of each alternative
Acquisition + Installation + Maintenance= Total Cost

Functionality
1. 2.

Can the files be accessed from the office? Can the files be time stamped?

Findings
Legal Risk
The

least legal risk was found in Option 1(on site filing, no digital backup). Options 2 (on site, digital) and 4 (outsource) were both rated with average risk because of the online storage component. Option 3 (offsite, digital) rated very high risk because of the unpredictability of self-storage units.

Findings
Hours of Lost Labor
60 50 40 30 20 10 0 Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4 Hours of Lost Labor

Ease of Implementation

The easiest system to implement is Option 4 (outsourcing). Options 2 (on site, digital) and 3 (off site, digital) take up the most time because of the initial scanning of the files.

Findings
Total Cost of Project
$18,000.00 $16,000.00 $14,000.00

$12,000.00
$10,000.00 $8,000.00 $6,000.00 Total Cost (dollars)

$4,000.00
$2,000.00 $Option 1 Option 2 Option 3 Option 4

Cost

Option 2 (on site, digital), is the cheapest Option 4 (outsourcing), is the most expensive.

Findings
Functionality
Easiest to access is Option 2 (on site, digital), on site filing

with digital backup Easiest to time stamp is Option 4(outsourcing) Most difficult to time stamp is Option 1(on site, no digital).

Recommendation
Option

2, on site filing, with digital backup

Most cost efficient

Easiest to access Moderate legal risk Disadvantage: Long implementation time

Questions?