Running a GP presents myriad challenges, from managing patient care to administrative tasks. Amidst the everyday busyness, maintaining tidiness is no easy feat. As magazines, pamphlets and notices are added to waiting rooms, and boxes of patient records creep into staff areas, space can quickly become cluttered – discomforting and distracting, for patients and clinical staff. Luckily, there are hacks for decluttering, like digitising patient records. Read on to discover more tactics to declutter your general practice. 

Prioritise Physical Space

Did you know that the physical space in which patients find themselves influences how they feel about a general practice? Begin by identifying your practice’s clutter hotspots, such as:

• Reception desks
• Waiting area
• Consultation room
• Storage areas.

Once you’ve cleared each area of superficial clutter, consider a deeper spatial reorganisation. Think about how essential areas are placed in relation to each other – well thought-out layout can improve the patient journey by enhancing foot flow and minimizing bottlenecks.

And it’s not just patients; consider the impact of clutter on practice staff:

• Is the break-out room orderly, or has it become cluttered with parcels, mail, and unnecessary stationery? Schedule regular clear-outs to keep these spaces spick and span.
• What about storage areas and filing rooms: are you holding on to boxes of outdated records, or just the ones you’re legally required to keep? Digitise patient records to free up space (and prevent them from deterioration).

Finesse Your Furniture

Create an open and inviting atmosphere by being more Zen! Get rid of clunky cabinets, overbearing desks, chairs, and tables in favour of minimalist décor and space-saving storage solutions that keep reading and marketing material, documents, supplies and equipment neatly organised and out of sight when not in use. Add some greenery for an organic, soothing touch.

Get Online

Online tools offer an efficient way to declutter a practice by digitising essential processes. Appointment booking systems streamline scheduling, reducing the clutter of paper calendars and phone call logs.

Electronic billing software automates financial transactions, minimising paperwork and streamlining revenue management. Additionally, practice management software centralises administrative tasks, reducing the need for multiple physical files and manual record-keeping systems.

If your practice already practices telehealth, think about whether there is educational health material and pamphlets that could be shared digitally, so that paper copies can be removed from waiting rooms.

Embrace EHR

Transitioning to electronic health records (EHRs) can significantly decrease clutter associated with paper files and documents.

Implement a secure and user-friendly EHR system to digitise patient records, medical histories, and treatment plans. This saves space and facilitates more efficient consultations and better continuity of care.

Digitise Documents

Engage a reputable medical records scanning company to scan and store existing patient records to USB, hard drive or the cloud to save on physical space. Converting paper records to digital files will also:

• Ensure documents are backed up and preserved
• Maximise patient privacy and data security
• Facilitate document retrieving and sharing
• Align with medical records retention requirements.

Educate Everyone

To maximise effectiveness, foster a culture of efficiency, and reduce hard copy clutter, ensure that staff members are trained in the use of digital tools and protocols. Encourage patients to engage with online portals and apps for appointment scheduling, prescription refills, digital pamphlets and access to medical records.  

Purge the Paper with ADEC Preview

With our digitalisation solutions for GPs – including document digitisation and data hosting – you can transition from paper to pixels, cost-effectively and easily.

We’re the preferred partner for medical records scanning in New South Wales, with over 20 years’ experience working with health care organisations to digitise their medical records.

Learn more about our capabilities and capacities, or contact us to find out more about how we can help you with your document digitisation needs.

Got your Strengthening Medicare GP Grant?

If you received a Strengthening Medicare GP Grant, you can invest in digitising your medical records, and we can help! The spend deadline for grant funds is 30 June 2024 – use it or lose it!