| Healthcare organizations, including private physician | | | | more comfortable. |
| offices, public health agencies, specialty hospitals | | | | A few clinicians have ensured delivery of patient |
| and medical research institutions receive/send | | | | medical information through the digital information |
| large volumes of clinical and financial health | | | | network into their EHR system. However, most |
| information. However, the conventional methods | | | | of the hospitals and practices send/receive |
| of communicating and sharing patient health | | | | information in a number of unregulated mediums |
| information are not effective, i.e. they | | | | that are expensive and time consuming. Most of |
| compromise timely delivery of data and its | | | | them can be grouped as analog delivery methods |
| privacy. This is combined with the problem of | | | | such as using courier services, postal deliveries, |
| maintaining paper records that are overwhelming | | | | express or overnight mail and even facsimile. This |
| and expensive due to their sheer volume. The | | | | is a slower approach that does not even ensure |
| introduction of Electronic Medical Records (EMR) is | | | | that the records have reached the intended |
| catered towards solving this issue along with | | | | recipient. This in turn leads to repeated |
| speeding--up the entire patient care system, | | | | communication of the same records along with |
| making it more, secure, precise and affordable. An | | | | the need to create and store additional copies. |
| integral application within EMR is the use of PDF | | | | PDF healthcare is actually a Best Practices Guide |
| files that contain scanned images of medical | | | | or BPG. Its realm and functionalities are now |
| financial patient information but dubbing EMRs as | | | | supplemented by the IG or the Implementation |
| 'PDF files' only is a misconception. | | | | Guide. PDF healthcare's BPG & IG put forth |
| What is PDF Healthcare? | | | | published specifications that are catered towards |
| It can be understood as a bridging medium that is | | | | the needs of the industry. BPG & IG detail various |
| at the core of electronic records information | | | | aspects of the free, Portable Document Format |
| systems. PDF healthcare does not impose drastic | | | | or PDF (ISO 32000--1--2008) to help providers |
| changes in a facility's operational behavior or | | | | understand a better medium of capturing, |
| massive spending on acquiring new technologies. It | | | | recording and exchanging patient information. BPG |
| has been outlined to co--exist within the existing | | | | & IG are useful in this transition from the analog |
| organizational framework. It is aimed at making | | | | delivery/storage mode towards digital records in |
| the exchange of health information faster and | | | | the industry. |