How Digitization Allowed Penn State Health to Reclaim Space and Improve Access to Records

Challenge

At Penn State Health’s facilities, charts and other patient records were completely paper based. Over time, the thousands upon thousands of records grew into millions and became incredibly burdensome to store onsite.  

Managing all this paper demanded time-consuming processes and intensive manual work, leading to high overhead and frequent training costs for new staff. There was also a major disconnect with the electronic medical record (EMR) system, which had been implemented in Penn State Health’s physician clinics. The new system was there, but the records were still on paper, offering limited visibility and causing difficulties in retrieving patient records. 

“Prior to Access, our records were completely paper-based. Our process was labor intensive and systems were limited.” – Tony Wood, HIM Program Manager

The Solution

The organization knew it had reached a point where documents needed to be converted to digital and into a system that could improve access and scale with future growth. The task ahead was daunting as they had over 1.4 million records spread across 40+ locations, so Penn State Health relied on its established relationship with Access to guide the transition. 

The project to convert hundreds of thousands of paper records to digital required expertise in security, chain of custody, and regulatory requirements that Access was ready to provide. 

Access packed, picked up, transported, and inventoried over 1.4 million records across 40+ different locations, making their physical records available digitally. Over 800 file requests are processed monthly, and records are delivered electronically to their portal and enterprise content management (ECM) platforms. Penn State Health is largely digital now, and the HIM team has online access to their records inventory and order processing.  

The Result

By transitioning to a digital system, the organization reclaimed substantial physical space—freeing up an entire file room of floor space in the health and information management (HIM) department and a football field’s worth of storage in the basement. That space now accommodates 20-30 team members. This shift allowed staff to focus on EMR training and day-forward processes, rather than spending their time hunting down files. 

Physicians gained faster access to patient records from any location, reducing retrieval delays and saving valuable time. The shift away from manual processes also resulted in significant cost savings for the organization. With continued support from Access, the HIM team at Penn State Health is now focused on uncovering deeper program insights. Analyzing how often charts are requested and how long documents need to be retained is providing ongoing value and helps inform future records management decisions.  

Having provided value to the HIM team at Penn State Health for over 20 years, Access continues to support their acquisition and business processes, helping the organization stay agile, compliant, and focused on patient care. 

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