eDiscovery is here to stay: is your medical practice prepared for its risks and costs?

The adoption of electronic medical records technology in medical practices is helping to improve quality and decrease costs. While electronic records can increase practice efficiencies, this stored digital information is also playing an increasingly central role in the discovery phase of lawsuits. The sheer volume of electronic files that may be subject to a search and review during the electronic discovery phase (eDiscovery or e-discovery) can be overwhelming to produce. This phase of litigation is costly, too--the average eDiscovery project can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. A medical practice can reduce the number of procedural headaches and unnecessary legal costs by designing and implementing an eDiscovery strategy and process to reduce their legal and financial risk.