-- Medical records are misplaced or missing in 30% of patient visits.

-- A patient's age isn't included in a medical record 10% of the time.

-- The average paper medical record weighs 1.5 pounds.

-- A quality-assurance staff can review 3 paper medical records per hour.
-- A quality assurance staff can review 400 electronic medical records per hour

-- A diagnosis isn't recorded in the patient's record 40% of the time.

-- Doctors, while taking a medical history, fail to note the chief complaint in the patient's record 27% of the time.

Source: Committee on Improving the Patient Record, Institute of Medicine, R. S. Dick and E. B. Steen (eds.), The Computer-Based Patient Record: An essential Technology for Health Care. Rev. Ed. Washington DC: National Academy Press, 1997.

-- Each patient visit generates 13 pieces of paper

-- The average office spends $10 per visit to track and file paper records

Source: Report by Volpe, Welty and Co