How to Run a Paperless Clinic: Marites Cross Interview

1st part of the interview is here

Your practice has recently switched from being wholly paper-dependent to going almost exclusively paperless with Medesk. What's the story behind your decision to go digital?

Do you know the cost of all that paper, the printing and the ink? It's a lot of money. As the owner of the business, I have to analyse the cost of all of these office supplies and I need to think of ways to reduce these costs. I had been searching for practice management software for a long time, but I couldn't find the right application until I sent an email to you guys.

Since you were so helpful, I thought that we should go with it as the easiest way to put everything including our images into the cloud.

I have been asking our receptionists and sonographers about how they have been finding the transition to this new patient management software, and they reported it to be easier and quicker. We've even been asking our clients, and they've said it's great, too. It's more efficient than working with paper, and it's more secure as it can't be lost. The only thing that leaves the system is when we send patients emails, but it's their responsibility to protect their emails and not share the content.

If we had carried on working with paper, in 5-10 years we would probably have ended up with a whole room full of paper and cabinets.

Going Green: The Environmental Case for a Paperless Medical Practice

The environmental argument for going paperless is straightforward, but it extends well beyond simply using less paper. Every ream of paper requires energy, water, and raw materials to produce. Add to that the ink, toner cartridges, and electricity consumed by printers, and the cumulative environmental footprint of a paper-dependent clinic becomes significant.

For a practice like Marites Cross's ultrasound clinic, the shift to digital meant eliminating the steady drain of consumables that had become a routine operating cost. That same reduction in physical materials translates directly into a smaller carbon footprint. Patients increasingly expect the services they use to operate responsibly, and a paperless clinic signals that your practice takes that seriously.

Beyond the visible savings, going digital reduces the need for physical storage infrastructure: filing cabinets, folders, shelving, and the office space to house them all. That space can be repurposed, and those ongoing supply costs simply disappear. For any clinic looking to operate more sustainably in 2026, removing paper from daily workflows is one of the most practical and immediate steps available.

Flexibility and Remote Working in a Paperless Clinic

One of the less-discussed advantages of running a paperless clinic is the flexibility it creates for your team. When patient records, appointment schedules, and clinical notes live in the cloud, your staff are no longer tethered to a single physical location to do their jobs.

Receptionists can manage bookings and respond to patient queries without being physically at the front desk. Clinicians reviewing notes or preparing for appointments can do so from home or across multiple sites. For practices operating from more than one location, this is a genuine operational advantage. There is no need to transfer physical files between sites or risk important documents going astray in transit.

This flexibility also supports continuity of care. If a staff member needs to work remotely at short notice, the workflow does not have to stop. Patient data remains accessible, secure, and up to date regardless of where the team is working. As hybrid working becomes a more permanent feature of how healthcare practices operate, a paperless setup is no longer a future consideration. It is a practical necessity.

Essential Tools for Transitioning to a Paperless Practice

Making the move to a paperless clinic is much more manageable when you know which specific tools do the heavy lifting. The right practice management software brings these capabilities together in one place.

Digital forms. Replacing paper clipboards and handwritten intake sheets with digital forms is often the most visible change patients notice. Patients can complete registration, consent, and health history forms online before they arrive, reducing waiting room time and removing the need for manual data entry by reception staff.

Online booking. A self-service booking portal allows patients to schedule, reschedule, or cancel appointments at any time without calling the practice. This reduces administrative load and improves the patient experience simultaneously.

Digital treatment notes. Clinicians can record consultation notes, examination findings, and treatment plans directly within the patient record. Notes are immediately accessible to authorised team members and cannot be misplaced.

Automated reminders. SMS and email reminders sent automatically ahead of appointments reduce no-show rates without requiring any manual follow-up from staff.

Cloud document storage. Uploading existing paper files to your practice management system is a practical starting point for the transition. You do not need to digitise everything at once. Beginning with new patients and uploading legacy files gradually makes the process manageable rather than overwhelming.

Data Protection and the Security of Digital Records

Marites Cross noted in her interview that digital records are more secure because they cannot be lost in the same way paper files can. This is worth expanding on, because data protection is a serious obligation for any clinic handling patient information.

Paper records carry risks that are easy to underestimate. A fire, a flood, or even a break-in can destroy irreplaceable patient files in moments. Physical documents can also be misplaced, accessed by unauthorised individuals, or accidentally sent to the wrong person. These are not hypothetical scenarios; they are documented causes of data breaches in healthcare settings.

Cloud-based practice management software addresses these risks directly. Patient data is encrypted, automatically backed up, and accessible only to authorised users. For clinics operating under GDPR or equivalent data protection regulations, using software built with compliance in mind reduces the administrative burden of demonstrating that patient information is being handled appropriately. Secure digital records are not just more convenient. They are a more responsible way to manage the sensitive information patients entrust to your practice.

The Modern Patient Experience

Patients arriving at a paperless clinic encounter a noticeably different experience from the moment they book their appointment. Online booking means they can secure a time that suits them without waiting on hold or sending an email and waiting for a reply. Digital intake forms sent ahead of the appointment allow them to complete paperwork at home, at their own pace, rather than filling in a clipboard in a waiting room.

Once inside the practice, the absence of paper-based processes makes consultations feel more focused. Clinicians have immediate access to patient history, previous notes, and test results without searching through physical files. Automated SMS and email reminders mean patients are less likely to forget their appointments, which benefits both the patient and the practice.

For patients with accessibility needs, digital tools often provide advantages that paper cannot. Font size adjustments, translation options, and the ability to review information in their own time all contribute to a more inclusive experience. A paperless clinic is not simply a more efficient clinic. It is also a more patient-centred one.

The field of ultrasound, as well as medicine in general, is making increasing use of digital tools and technologies. How do you expect these developments to change your clinical work and practice management over the next 5 to 10 years?

I am expecting that patients will no longer need to make an appointment with their GP to get a referral. They will be able to do that online. Since online booking is already available, it should become possible to do this for all GP surgeries and even hospitals.

Also, all patients should be able to access the results of their tests and any recommendations made by their doctors. In this way, they will be able to receive treatment with no delay. This would be more cost-effective, and new technologies will allow medicine to become more preventative in nature rather than having patients waiting for another two to three weeks after seeing the GP to get an appointment with a specialist.

photo: freepik.com

If a GP can tell a patient that they have the results of their examination, they can just send it to the patient rather than using up another appointment for this. It's a quicker channel of communication, and it'll prevent any situation in which results can be lost.

Is there anything specific that you believe all great private practices have in common?

Specifically, it's about better service that's provided quickly. That's the only thing that really matters.

What are the biggest mistakes that a practice manager or clinical director can make?

The first one is that they invest too much in the latest technologies even when they can't really be used efficiently to generate income. They do this just to say: "We have the latest technology," but they're not utilising it as they should. You can't run a business by having all these healthcare software systems if they're not generating income. What's the point?

For example, you don't want to hire a sonographer who can only do Obstetrics ultrasound scans. You need someone who can do more than Sonography, and an extra skill like taking bloods would be beneficial, too. However, having said that, as long as the new staff member is willing to learn, you can send them for more training.

1st part of the interview is here