Eliminating paper in the practice

[TW Burger]

I work for a company that provides EHR software for dental schools and
is the leader in EHR design and implementation. We are now expanding
our ability to integrate diagnostic information, goal based treatment
planning, and digital imaging into a single package. Using our
software, several universities are running paperless practice studies.

Commercially, I believe most western practices, both medical and
dental, run a heavily EHR based systems or at least integrate EDI due
to government or insurance industry claims submissions demands. The
last piece of the solution is the ablity to do away with the patient
chart. Nothing has yet been able to replace the ease, portablity, and
convenience of writing notes on paper. PDA's are too small and
difficult to use. Recordings must be trascribed and then the
transcription re-rentered into the EHR. Voice recognition is not
accurate enough.

What is needed is the solution that can eliminate the paper chart. Has
anyone suggestions as to how this could be done?