Article: County moving to fix antiquated computer system. (Los Angeles County, CA)(Health Care: Private Intervention)(Interview)

Los Angeles County's massive Health Services Department keeps patient medical records the old-fashioned way - on paper - costing the county millions of dollars in lost staff time and missed billing opportunities, officials say.

With only sporadic computer record-keeping, the county must employ an army of workers to haul hard-copy patient records in and out of storage, said Jonathan Williams, the agency's director of information services.

The result: an estimated $45 million in losses annually on wasted employee time and federal Medi-Cal reimbursements lost in the shuffle, Williams said, citing a recent county study.

"There is no question that our ...

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