Dr. Oz: Digital medical records are the smart choice

Digitizing medical records does more than just keep doctor's offices and hospitals organized – it can actually save lives. According to a recent Yahoo Finance article, 200,000 people die every year because their medical records aren't stored online and therefore aren't available to their attending physician. That figure could be drastically lower if more medical establishments took advantage of enterprise content management, especially in emergency situations. 

In an interview with Yahoo Finance, Dr. Mehmet Oz, host of the Dr. Oz Show, said that having a complete record of a patient's medical history is crucial not only in helping doctors determine how to diagnose or treat a patient, but also as a way to assist people in determining which doctor would actually be the best fit for them. Patients who choose to get a second opinion can easily analyze their medical history with multiple doctors when their information is stored online.

"One of the benefits – and there are many – of digitizing who we are in the medical records system is that it allows you to compare those notes more readily," Oz said.

Those who are concerned that online medical information could be hacked need not worry. According to the source, digital medical records are actually less likely to fall into the wrong hands than physical files, which can be forgotten, lost or ruined in the event of a fire or flood. Electronic medical records are also more likely to have complete, up-to-date information on a patient's health, because the information contained in those files won't get lost as patients move around from doctor to doctor.

This isn't the first time that Dr. Oz has spoken out in support of digitized medical records. In a previous interview with Oprah, he said that using document imaging for medical records give patients greater access to the information that matters most to them, and these technologies can actually keep patients more involved when it comes to their health and well-being.

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