Duplicates in medical records create significant challenges for Independent Medical Examiners (IMEs) and Qualified Medical Evaluators (QMEs). Duplicate pages can overwhelm professionals with paperwork, complicate their understanding of a patient’s medical history, and ultimately impact their assessments. This issue extends beyond the individual examiner. It affects insurers, who incur significant losses by paying for every page reviewed, including duplicates, and it impacts patients, whose claims are delayed or inaccurately assessed. Deduplication of medical records is not just a technical fix; it’s necessary for efficiency and accuracy in medical reviews.
Why Duplicate Medical Records are a Serious Issue
Duplicate pages in medical records can severely impact reviewers. From life care planning to claims disputes, they are forced to sift through repetitive information, which wastes their time and increases the risk of oversight and errors in patient assessments. The resulting inefficiency can lead to higher costs and delays in the claims process. Also, according to Daisy Bill’s report, this duplication significantly contributes to loss for insurers. Insurers are particularly affected, as they pay for each page reviewed by IMEs/QMEs during workers’ comp claims or disputes.
The Top Five Reasons for Data Duplication in Medical Records
Understanding why medical records get duplicated is the first step toward addressing the problem. Here are the top five reasons for data duplication.
1. Interoperability hurdles
Interoperability between different healthcare systems is still a significant challenge. When digital records are transferred between systems, they often get converted into images or PDFs. This conversion process can lead to multiple versions of the same record, each slightly different but essentially containing the same information. These interoperability issues create an environment ripe for data duplication, making it harder for reviewers to discern the patient’s actual medical history.
2. Fax transmission
Despite digital advancements, fax machines remain a staple in many healthcare facilities. When a patient’s medical records are faxed multiple times, either to ensure receipt or due to miscommunication, duplications are inevitable. Each iteration of the faxed document adds another layer of redundancy, further complicating the review process for IMEs and QMEs.
3. Re-logging of medical data by physicians
Often, practitioners re-enter existing medical data during new visits, amalgamating previous records with current ones. While this might seem a thorough approach, it frequently leads to duplication. This re-entry means that the same information may appear multiple times across different entries, causing confusion and increasing the workload for those reviewing the records.
4. Healthcare IT software
Tools meant to streamline healthcare operations can sometimes contribute to data duplication. Healthcare IT software often generates multiple copies of a single record due to system glitches, backup protocols, or human error. These duplications can slip through unnoticed without stringent checks, cluttering the patient’s medical history.
5. Submission by both the defendant and applicant sides
During disputes, the defendant and the applicant might submit medical records to ensure all information is considered. Unfortunately, this well-intentioned practice often results in multiple submissions of the same records. Each side’s submission might include overlapping information, adding to the volume of documents that must be meticulously reviewed and leading to unnecessary complications.
Introducing Deduplication Services
Deduplication services are an underappreciated yet essential solution to this pervasive problem. Removing redundant pages from medical records improves the efficiency and precision of medical record reviews, ultimately conserving both time and financial resources.
Why Deduplication Matters
Deduplication ensures that reviewers—whether they are IMEs, QMEs, or lawyers—receive clean, concise records. This leads to more accurate assessments and quicker decision-making. For insurers, the financial benefits are significant as they no longer have to pay to review redundant pages. Here is why deduplication is essential:
- For Insurers: Deduplication can lead to substantial cost savings by reducing the number of pages that need to be reviewed, directly impacting the bottom line.
- For IMEs/QMEs: It simplifies the review process, enabling a more focused and accurate evaluation of a patient’s medical history.
- For Lawyers: Clean and organized records facilitate more effective case preparation and argumentation, improving the chances of favorable outcomes in legal disputes.
PreludeSys offers comprehensive deduplication services that streamline the medical record review process. Our team uses advanced AI/ML technology to identify and eliminate duplicate pages, ensuring that only the essential, non-redundant information remains. This leads to more efficient reviews, accurate assessments, and significant cost savings.
Contact us today to learn how our deduplication services can benefit your organization. Let’s make medical record reviews more efficient and accurate together.
