Staying on the Same Page
Having a healthcare document management system in place can make life much easier for everyone involved, and it helps to keep everyone on the same page. When health care professionals try to handle all their record-keeping on their own, they run the risk of rushing their documentation in order to get back to the more hands-on parts of their jobs.
When that happens, there can be different systems used, and it can lead to important information being difficult to find when it is needed. This can result in outcomes like denials from insurance or the failure to implement a prescribed treatment, or even a miscommunication, such as what allergies a patient may have.
Patient Information Access
Anyone who needs information about a patient should be able to get to that information quickly. Many treatments are time-sensitive, and searching through different systems and folders can waste valuable time. A digitized document management system assures that records can be accessed as needed.
Productivity and Accountability Tracking
Healthcare is one area that requires a lot of people to have their hand in the care of a patient, directly and indirectly. It is important to know who is making notes on a patient record and why. It is also important to know that employees within a health care organization are pulling their weight.
With a digitized healthcare document management system, records are kept of who accesses or changes a record. Different levels of access and editing permission can be granted in order to assure that records stay accurate, and individuals can be given the credit or assessed accountability for their role in the process.
Efficient Response to Patients and Providers
How often do we repeat information because we don’t know if it has been communicated or not? This can happen in any area of life, not just as it applies to healthcare, but while inefficiency is simply annoying most of the time, it can waste time in a healthcare situation. If notes have already been made about a patient’s condition, there is no need to repeat the same information, it only needs to be referenced.
This makes it easier for providers to get the information they need as they share patients, and it can help assure that those providers are able to relay important health information, diagnosis, and treatment plans to a patient as they become relevant. It is even possible for different providers to review patient information simultaneously to assure consistency of care.
Handling HIPPA Compliance and Security
Health care information is sensitive information and is protected by the Health Insurance Privacy and Portability Act. This means medical records can’t be public, and records can’t be accessed without consent.
By granting different levels of access, and denying access to those who don’t need to know certain information, having an outsourced document management system helps keep private information private. Also, when records are no longer needed, they can be destroyed securely without risk of private health or financial information getting into the wrong hands.
Reducing Paper and Staying Organized
Staying organized is very important, and paper records are messy. They can easily be misplaced, or they can fall into the wrong hands. Files fall out of paper charts, and it is safer to handle things digitally whenever possible. Besides the safety issue, less paper needs to come off the printer in the first place, as records can be viewed securely on a computer or tablet.
Using less paper is not only good for the environment, but it means less time dealing with paperwork, and more time focused on patients. This can save money and potentially lives.
