Technology Assists Hospitals Eliminate Medical Errors



The immediate chaos and destruction of Hurricane Katrina overshadowed a lesser-known death toll; as medical records were swept away, patients could not receive treatment and many experienced prolonged suffering. The reliance on paper for emergency medical records (EMRs) proved unfortunate.

But not for those whose records had been digitized. A number of survivors received prompt treatment because their doctors had the foresight to go paperless; in the midst of catastrophe, these patients' emergency medical records were pulled up from databases around the country, and lifesaving care was delivered.

Natural disasters and human error put paper records at constant peril, and inefficiency in the back office can have disastrous consequences such as medical errors. Yet despite the undisputed fact that digital EMRs can save lives, the healthcare industry in the United States has been slow to go paperless.

Faced with the proven benefits of digitizing patient records, large health institutions are beginning to show signs of a major shift toward computerization. Aiding this trend, Best of the Web recently launched B2BSoftware.com (



Technology Assists Hospitals Eliminate Medical Errors