The summer should be measured by the number of hours you spend at the beach not the number of forms you have to fill out before school starts. Let’s take an in-depth look at why schools should look at the parent experience as the key to improving the form collection process.

Karen is a mother from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Her seven year old daughter Katie just began summer vacation and will be starting second grade in September. Mid-way through the summer, Katie was diagnosed with severe allergy-induced Asthma and was prescribed an albuterol inhaler for her to carry at all times. Naturally, Karen wanted to notify her daughter’s school. She remembered Katie brought home papers at the end of the year that she could fill out regarding her new condition. Karen tracked down the huge pile of forms only to realize there was a notice that her daughter’s physical had expired! When she called the doctor, they were booked until the end of September, but the due date on the forms was the first day of school.

Karen decided to fill out the other student forms and began the stressful and difficult process of shuffling through all of the unorganized paperwork. As she started filling out the forms, she realized that all of this information had already been submitted last year, but now there were some pages missing… She would have loved it if the information she had filled out had been saved so she could have simply updated the existing information. There was also no form included in the packet to list Katie’s new asthma condition as she had never noted a medical condition in the past. She tried to contact the school nurse, but no one seemed to be in the office. This process was very difficult for Karen and she had worried that she wouldn’t get the forms finished before the start of school. Karen would have really preferred a more streamlined process to update this health information for her daughter.

Later that week, Karen spoke with Carol, Katie’s best friend’s mother. She explained her daughter’s newly diagnosed medical condition, and the taxing situation of trying to complete the paper medical forms. Carol quickly explained how each year she completes and makes updates to her daughter’s information anytime, from anywhere. This summer, she simply did it all through her iPad while at the pool! The process was quick and seamless for her. She simply logged onto the school’s website, where she accessed a portal to review all of the information she had entered the prior year saved in the system. All she had to do was to confirm or to update her daughter’s information.

When she had to submit the physician’s forms, she took a photo with her iPhone and submitted them directly into the account! Her daughter was also diagnosed with a new medical condition last summer, and her updates were entered instantly, and were easily seen by the school nurse who was notified of the changes to the student’s chart. She said she was relieved that the school was now aware of this new condition, and she knew the school had all of the information required to care for her daughter.

Carol loves the online system her daughter’s school uses to collect student records and no longer dreads the re-enrollment process! Karen would love if her daughter’s school utilized a software solution like this. It would alleviate the stressful process of trying to make updates and submit her daughter’s paper forms on time. She could have peace of mind knowing the school had all of the necessary paperwork for her daughter and were aware of her new condition.

Karen and Carol are fictional examples of everyday parents attempting to complete their student’s paperwork before school starts. Karen’s daughter’s school uses the inefficient paper method of form collection that is very difficult for the parent and the nurse to manage. Carol’s daughter’s school, on the other hand, uses an Electronic Medical Record (EMR) software making it extremely easy for parents to complete all requirements before the start of school. EMR software solutions take away the hassle of tracking down papers and manually making updates while providing instant, real time access at their fingertips.

Schools can create a better experience for their own staff and parents while making it simple for them to fill out and update their student’s health information on the go by using an EMR solution. It allows parents and staff to seamlessly and securely access, share and update health information with a click of a button. See how you can turn the dreaded process of turning in paperwork into an effortless experience for your parents!