The Challenge
TMC needed a disciplined information governance program to overcome decades of disorganized records, improve visibility and retrieval, reduce manual workloads, and support the transition to digital systems.
The Solution
Access’ document scanning, indexing, records management software, secure shredding, and offsite storage, along with support from Access’ information governance team
The Results
Truman Medical Centers (TMC) offers the largest inpatient and outpatient care for Kansas City hospitals. Steeped in Kansas City history, with roots that go back more than a century, Truman Medical Centers is an academic health center providing accessible, quality healthcare to the community through two acute care academic hospital locations, a behavioral health program, a long-term care facility, and multiple primary care practices.
Patient records properly disposed of
Saved in monthly storage costs
TMC faced the need for a highly structured information governance (IG) program to address long-standing challenges within its records management system. Decades of disorganized physical records across multiple departments had led to a lack of visibility into box and file contents, making timely retrieval and defensible disposal difficult. Manual chart pulls increased operational overhead, and the broader industry shift to Electronic Medical Records (EMR) added pressure to digitize a significant portion of patient files. A more disciplined IG approach was essential to drive efficiency, compliance, and modernization.
The Solution
With the design and approach in hand, Access was excited to partner with TMC to solve the intricacies and resource requirements needed to implement their new IG policy. This included finding a solution to index and catalogue thousands of existing boxes across multiple facilities and vendors. Additionally, identifying records suitable for disposition helped create a stable and sustainable model to ensure compliance.
In the end, TMC and Access developed a creative solution that included scanning, records storage, and secure destruction, and met TMC’s operational and budgetary requirements. It was in this partnership that Access was able to differentiate itself from other options in the marketplace and solidify the foundation for a great relationship.
By reducing the volume of physical files in storage, TMC was able to lower ongoing document archiving costs and minimize potential liability—delivering immediate impact. The Access team collaborates regularly with TMC to identify records eligible for secure destruction and those that can be converted to electronic format. Leveraging Access’s records management platform, TMC’s users gained easy, on-demand access to critical documents through a secure, permission-based system.
Through well-defined governance policy and procedure, the information management department has become the “backbone” of TMC, supporting the records and document needs for several crucial disciplines within the organization. Over the course of the project, approximately 1,000,000 patient records were properly disposed of through Access’ secure shredding services, which is the equivalent of nearly 30,000 records boxes. This reduction in physical inventory resulted in more than $5,000 in monthly storage savings.
Additional benefits included improved efficiency for hospital staff in locating and retrieving records, streamlined retrieval processes through records management software, and faster, more responsive service for daily requests via the scan-on-demand system. Each of these benefits were further enhanced by a searchable database that has been customized to the organization’s specific needs.
“We needed a partner who understood our commitment to the community and was willing to work with us, financially. Access quickly became our one place to go for our information management needs. “– Seth Katz, Associate Chief Information Officer
Our records management software offers a powerful gateway to online inventory management, service, material ordering, reporting, metrics, and secure file transfer. This platform serves as a bridge between your existing records management program to a more digital way of working – helping to ensure your information remains secure and accessible while mitigating your risks.
Are you ready to take control of your information lifecycle? We manage documents for over 33,000 companies in North America. Let us help you manage yours.
