Hosting Printed and Scanned Images

IMS as an Application Service Provider (ASP) providing a contract service to store, host and manage access to electronic document images for our facilities. Electronic images are hosted on OnlineFileCenter^SM, our Web based document image and data hosting system.

IMS stores millions of images on secure servers for clients who want them managed economically, professional and securely. We are also familiar with and compliant with all HIPPA regulations which are applicable to printing, mailing and the hosting of patient records and information

Items hosted may be created as a result of IMS printing or imaging your documents or may come from your own information system. Our hosting services are very competitive since we don’t use third party viewing software that usually requires the purchase of expensive viewing licenses. We use our own hosting software and pass the saving along to you.

The primary advantages of using OnlineFileCenter^SM include:

• Little or no capital investment in hardware and software
• IMS accepts the risk of technological obsolescence
• High server security
• Fast implementation of complex applications
• Redundant data backup
• Customization of the web-based retrieval software
• File integrity

All you need to access and view the images is your Web Browser.

The images and data are kept in non-proprietary TIFF, PDF and XML formats should you ever want to export the data to another hosting system. To control access and protect the confidentiality of your information, our hosting site requires you to maintain the User Names and Passwords for those with viewing rights.

Typical documents hosted are statements, invoices, late notices, accounting records, human relations files, medical records, oil and gas well logs and files, delivery tickets, statements, invoices, letters and most other common business records. For customer service applications, printed invoices can be linked with scanned delivery tickets. For banking applications, printed statements can be linked with scanned checks and drafts.

Why use IMS to host our electronic images and data?

Using an ASP requires a leap of faith since your documents are often being handled and processed by a company that may be out of your area. The ASP may also be a company with which you may not be familiar.

As a service bureau, IMS has a history of providing fast, cost-effective document processing, storage and hosting. IMS currently hosts millions of both scanned and print images. References are available upon request.

Send us a sample of your paper documents or print file data. For no charge, we will process them and show you how you can access them with your Web browser from our secure server.

How it works

Electronic images of printed or scanned items are created so they can be accessed, viewed and shared by others. The images are also used for archival purposes.

The electronic images are exact representations of the original document. They are typically stored in PDF, TIFF or HTM format. The images can be viewed using software such as Adobe Reader, many Microsoft and other non-proprietary image viewing software programs, and Web browsers.

The images are typically stored on secure mass storage devices at IMS or on your servers and accessed with a Web browser. Access to the site and images is controlled by User Names and Passwords.

Images can also be written to optical discs, which can be stored in a safe place. IMS also provides search software that can be embedded on CD-ROMs and DVD that allow you to search for specific images on a disc.

Searches of the images are most commonly made using a Web browser or Web enabled software using the search indexes you select. The search indexes are often items such as a company or person’s name, account number, SSN, date and amount. IMS can provide search software that allows the user to search the images using multiple search indexes.

Medical documents that are subject to HIPAA regulations are stored on secure servers and accessed using secure HTTPS Web transmission protocols.

Frequently Lasked Questions

Below are answers to the common questions we receive. If you have further questions that need answering or questions specific to your job, send us a sample of your paper documents or print file data. For no charge, we will process them and show you how you can access them with your Web browser from our secure server.

How do you access archived statements and invoices?

With a Web browser.

What web site do I visit for OnlineFileCenter^SM?

www.OnlineFileCenter.com

In what image format are the print images stored?

It depends on your data output as to the best format available, but they are generally PDFs, which are 30-40 KBs each, or they can be HTM images that are about 5KBs each.

How do you charge for the storage of images?

It depends on the image sizes. Pricing is volume sensitive.

How much does each concurrent viewing license cost for our users?

Nothing. The image hosting fee includes storage on an IMS server, image creation and posting to OnlineFileCenter^SM and viewing licenses.

What happens if we want to store the images in-house at some point in the future?

All of your data is in a non-proprietary format. IMS sells software that can access the data should you wish to purchase it and host the data at your facility. Also, since it is in a non-proprietary format, most common electronic management software should be able to read our non-proprietary data output. IMS also archives your data on optical discs that can be read by a PC.

Hosting Images for Healthcare Providers

IMS maintains millions of images on secure servers for clients who want them managed economically, professionally and securely. Any item printed or scanned can be hosted on the system. Once logged in, all you need to access and view the images is a Web Browser.

OnlineFileCenter^SM was developed to host all non-proprietary image formats including PDFs, TIFFs, HTM and XML data. The system’s security features include safeguards necessary to meet HIPAA privacy guidelines.

OnlineFileCenter^SM is fast, efficient and utilizes dual T-1 Internet connections to facilitate fast retrieval.

Our hosting services are very competitive since we don’t use third party viewing software which usually requires the purchase of expensive viewing licenses. We use our own internally developed hosting software and pass the saving along to you.

The primary benefits of using IMS as your ASP to host your print images are:

• Little or no capital investment in hardware and software
• IMS accepts the risk of technological obsolescence
• High server security
• Fast implementation of complex applications
• Redundant data backup
• Customization of the web-based retrieval software
• File integrity

HIPAA and OnlineFileCenter^SM

The following are important HIPAA issues related to the hosting of electronic images on-line of medical documents.

When Congress passed the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) in 1996, they set forth various provisions for the privacy of protected health information (PHI) during diagnosis, treatment, and billing for medical issues. As a result of this regulation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued the Privacy Rule to guide healthcare providers through the implementation of HIPAA-compliant processes and procedures.

Five primary areas of concern include disclosure tracking, protected disclosure, de-identification of protected information, patient disclosure authorizations, and generally protecting the security and privacy of personally identifiable electronic health information as it routes through the processes of diagnosing, treating, and billing individuals for health-related Issues.

1. Disclosure tracking HIPAA regulations require that the healthcare provider track disclosures of personally identifiable health information to any internal or third party. This includes doctors, insurance providers, billing and claims processing, and all other entities that might have reason to view the information.
2. Protected Disclosure The Privacy Rule allows for certain types of disclosures that do not require authorization from the patient. These include 1) to the individual, 2) treatment, payment, and health care operations, 3) disclosures with the opportunity to object, 4) incidental use, 5) public interest and benefit activities, and 6) release of a limited data set. There is specific information that must be captured for each disclosure, And in some situations, only a subset of the patient’s record may be disclosed.
3. De-identification There are no restrictions on the use of de-identified health information, and much of this type of information is used by the government, researchers, and health organizations in compiling statistics. De-identification requires the user to strip all personally identifiable information (i.e., patient name, identity number, address, etc.) from the health document before it is passed on.
4. Patient Authorization A healthcare provider may not disclose PHI outside the scope of the HIPAA regulations without written authorization from the patient. This authorization must be obtained, recorded, and then maintained for a period of at least six years. In general, authorizations should be specific as to the information being disclosed, the person disclosing and receiving the information, expiration, etc., so a separate authorization is often required for each disclosure.
5. Security The Security Rule portion of the HIPAA regulations applies to the transmission of electronic protected health information (EPHI). The healthcare provider is to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of all EPHI the covered entity creates, receives, maintains or transmits.

IMS’s Electronic Documents Hosting System

Information Management Solutions, IMS, is a service bureau located in San Antonio, TX. It has been providing document imaging and archive services to the healthcare industry since 1995. One of the services provided by IMS is electronic document and data hosting. The service is named OnlineFileCenter^SM.

The electronic document management system, OnlineFileCenter^SM offered by IMS was developed to meet the needs of healthcare providers to convert paper documents to electronic images, store them in a safe electronic environment, and make them available to their owners in a manner that complies with HIPAA requirements.

Data stored on the system is typically scanned documents saved in a TIFF format, print images stored in either a PDF format, or print images in an XML format. The images are generally created when paper documents are sent to IMS where they are scanned and electronically indexed to facilitate their retrieval. Typical paper documents converted to electronic images for the healthcare industry are HCFA 1500s, EOBs, accounts receivable and payable records, contracts and other common business records.

Retrieval is made using a common Web browser such as MS Internet Explorer. No other software needs to be installed on a user’s computer. Retrieved data transmitted via the Internet is protected using 128 bit encryption.

The hosting software at IMS is a rather typical data and electronic image hosting application. The software has an administrator’s module where user access is controlled. An administrator must assign a unique User Name and Password before a user can log into the system. The administrator’s module also tracks who comes in, their name and password and what documents they viewed. An administrator also controls what documents and record types individual users can view. When users select a document to view, they are not directly viewing the document stored on OnlineFileCenter^SM but are being shown a mirror image of the archived image. No user, other than an Administrator, has access to the scanned images or indexes.

All data is kept in a non-proprietary format so if users wants to move it to their own system, they can do so.

Data Archival on Disc

IMS also provides Electronic Records Management (ERM), also referred to as Computer Output to Laser Disc (COLD). ERM/COLD is a process wherein print, spool and report data is compressed and archived.

The data is compressed for space savings and indexed with key fields for retrieval.The processed data can be stored on a system or on optical discs for easy and dynamic retrieval from a PC. Data may also be saved in a PDF format and easily retrieved, viewed and shared using the free Adobe Reader^TM

Send us sample data in any format and on any media including FTP. We will process the data, show you how it works and give you pricing.