Today, it feels like everything is going digital, and records are no exception. In the healthcare industry, medical records are being converted to electronic format, but concerns surrounding security threats have caused some individuals to show reluctance towards the transition.

A survey conducted by Xerox reveals that roughly 85 percent of Americans are concerned about the security of their medical information as more healthcare organizations adopt electronic records. According to the results, 63 percent believe their records could be hacked, 50 percent believe they could be lost, damaged or corrupted and 50 percent believe that these digital documents could be compromised in the event of a power outage or natural disaster.

However, doctors and patients both understand that the conversion to electronic records is essential as society continues to move into a digital age. In fact, surveyed patients agreed that EMRs are beneficial, listing organizational transparency as their number one advantage.

“The biggest assurance that patients have regarding electronic medical records is that anytime anybody looks at something or prints something, there is a record of who did it. That was not true of paper charts,” said Dr. Michael Hobaugh, a children’s physician in Chicago and one of the survey’s respondents.

The key is finding a way to experience the benefits of EMRs without compromising their integrity or security. Working with a professional records management company is one way to accomplish this, as they will not only store physical records in a secure, off-site location, but they will help healthcare organizations strategize the best way to convert records to electronic format. This will help hospitals ensure that they are preserving sensitive data while following all regulatory measures.