The Impact of Informed Consent – Part 1: Compliance

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Anyone working in a healthcare setting (and most patients as well) knows the importance of the process of informed consent.

Ultimately, the goal of informed consent is:

  • for the patient to be an educated participant in his/her healthcare decision,
  • to provide evidence of consent that serves to document their legal and ethical responsibility (The Joint Commission, 2016).

It shouldn’t surprise you that when the process of capturing consent falls short, it opens a door of legal risks, compliance, patient safety, and operational issues. But, does it surprise you to learn that ¾ of organizations still use paper forms to document the critical process of informed consent vs. leveraging electronic signature technology?

While consent is more than a signature, the way the consent is documented on a form is extremely important. Failure to obtain informed consent is one of the top ten reasons why medical malpractice claims are filed against hospitals.

While the healthcare industry is embracing paperless automation via EHR systems, they are realizing the critical process of informed consent is not addressed by EHR solutions.

The inefficiencies inherent to paper-based consent form processes can result in missing or improperly scanned forms. This produces delays and inconsistencies, drains the valuable time of clinicians, exposes hospitals to risk, and ultimately, impact patient safety.

For many health systems, improving the informed consent process has become integral to a proactive approach to key strategic initiatives such as patient experience, cost savings, and risk management.

FormFast’s Mobile eConsent solution addresses the industry’s growing need for a more streamlined, reliable, and consistent informed consent process and provides an alternative to the error-prone, paper-based process.

With FormFast’s Mobile eConsent Solution, consents are quickly signed by the patient, immediately archived, and instantly visible to the care team. FormFast prevents lost documents, expedites care, and keeps healthcare organizations in compliance.

 

This 4-part blog series will take a deeper look into 4 key areas impacted by the informed consent process: Compliance, Satisfaction, Cost, and Productivity to further examine why its time to let go of the status quo when it comes to informed consent.

Let’s start with an important one: compliance.

 

Informed Consent’s Impact on Compliance: Legal & Ethical Implications of Missing Consent Forms

Physicians and other clinicians have a legal and ethical responsibility to discuss the risks and benefits of a procedure with patients. But, clinicians may not provide enough educational information to patients, document these conversations appropriately, or even misplace proof [the consent form] that this conversation took place, exposing themselves and the hospital to a myriad of compliance and legal problems.

Audit Failures: Since informed consent documents are frequently lost, healthcare organization often fail The Joint Commission audits. In fact, 500+ healthcare organizations experience compliance issues with The Joint Commission each year due to missing consent forms.

Increased Liability: Missing consents also increase risk and liability in the instance of malpractice claims. With 2/3 of malpractice cases citing lack of informed consent, legal and risk management leaders are taking a special notice of the process.

An eye-opening study from JAMA Surgery found that, missing consent forms occurred in 66% of procedures. These missing forms are estimated to delay 10% of surgeries and can cost hospitals over $500,000 each year.

Paper-based consent forms can lead to several negative impacts that can cost an organization money and time, and in some cases, their reputation – which in the healthcare industry is worth its weight in gold. Can your hospital afford the legal risks of missing consent forms?

 

The good news? Missing, misplaced, or incomplete informed consent forms and the compliance risks associated are a thing of the past with FormFast.

By automating the process of informed consent with FormFast, you are ensuring access to the right consent, for the right patient, at the right time. The consent is archived in the correct place and the right members of the care team have visibility to the documentation when they need it.

With an electronic process, validation occurs within the system and ensures all fields are filled out appropriately, paving the way for a much better situation to ensure compliance. With FormFast, the language to describe the risks, benefits, and alternatives to every procedure is standardized, which ensures that conversations with patients follow a template approved by the hospital’s legal team. There is also the option to link to additional educational content – further ensuring patients are truly educated of their care plans.

Combining the power of technology with the critical process of informed consent is a small change, that produces big results and impacts key areas ripe for improvement, such as compliance.

See why today’s leading healthcare organizations are turning to FormFast to automate the critical process of informed consent. 

Stay Tuned for Part 2: Examining Informed Consent’s Impact on Satisfaction

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CUSTOMER GROWTH: Munson Healthcare – Manistee Hospital

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Munson Health Adds eSignature, Web FormImprint, and FormFast Go to their Main Facility and clinics as an integrated solution to their MEDITECH C/S Environment

Current FormFast customer, Munson Healthcare – Northern Michigan’s Leading Health Care System – is extending their use of FormFast technologies at their MEDITECH hospital.

Munson Healthcare is northern Michigan’s largest and leading health care system. Based in Traverse City, Mich., their team of medical experts, nine award-winning community hospitals, and related organizations serve people in 30 counties.

Munson Health will implement eSignature, Web FormImprint, and FormFast Go to their Main Facility and 6 of their clinics as an integrated solution to their MEDITECH C/S Environment.

 

 

 

CUSTOMER GROWTH: Alhambra Hospital Medical Center

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Alhambra Hospital Signs on for the Expansion of FormFast Products at the Hospital with the Addition of eSignature

Alhambra Hospital Medical Center strives to become one of the leading hospitals in the San Gabriel Valley by providing safe, integrated, affordable patient care and services, which will promote the health and well-being of our patients and our community.

Alhambra is expanding their use of FormFast technologies with the addition of FormFast eSignature. eSignature is FormFast’s solution for electronically signing electronic forms (or eForms).

Patients physically sign a digital signature device or a mobile tablet supporting electronic signature capabilities.  Their eSignature is applied to the eForms in real-time.  This provides a convenient, paperless alternative to paper-based consents. The e-signed documents are routed directly to the electronic medical record, accelerating the archival process.

 

CUSTOMER GROWTH: Conway Regional Health System

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Conway Regional Health System Adds FormFast Mobile App to Further Enhance Informed Consent Processes

Conway Regional Health System is proud to serve the people of central Arkansas by providing top quality medical care in a supportive environment. With more than 200 physicians on the medical staff, more than 1,200 employees and about 100 volunteers, Conway Regional is committed to making better health care a reality.

Conway is extending their relationship with FormFast to include FormFast Capture & FormFast Go to complement their MEDITECH environment, and enhance core proc

ess, such as informed consent.

With FormFast Go, clinical forms can be electronically displayed, completed, and e-signed via a mobile tablet at the point-of-care. Leveraging patient wristband scanning technology, the mobile app generates the right documents for the right patient in seconds. Upon completion, forms are instantly added to the EHR, eliminating the need to manually archive the documents.

 

NEW CUSTOMER: Cayman Islands Health Services Authority (HSA)

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Cayman Islands Health Services Authority Turns to FormFast to Streamline Registration and Bedside Consent Processes

The Mission of the Health Services Authority is to provide the highest quality healthcare and improve the well-being of people in the Cayman Islands through accessible, sustainable patient-focused services by highly-skilled, empowered and caring staff in collaboration with our partners. The Cayman Islands Health Services Authority provides care through th

e 124-bed Cayman Islands Hospital (104 inpatient and 20 observation beds) and the 18-bed Faith Hospital.

Cayman Islands Health Services Authority is implementing FormFast Go to enable clinical forms to be electronically displayed, completed, and e-signed via a mobile tablet at the point-of-care. This solution helps the hospital accelerate documentation, achieve more accurate form selection, and improve clinical workflow.

The Cerner hospital, will leverage FormFast eSignature and FormFast go to accelerate processes at registration and at the bedside with mobile eForm technology.

FormFast to Spotlight Mobile Healthcare Forms at Dreamforce ’18

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[sg_popup id=”14″ event=”hover”][/sg_popup]Visit FormFast at Dreamforce ’18 in San Francisco!

Dreamforce ’18 is right around the corner, and FormFast is gearing up for an exciting week in San Francisco! You can find us in the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry Lodge – Kiosk #5,  where we will be demonstrating how FormFast Connect extends the capabilities of Salesforce Health Cloud to empower patients and providers across the care continuum to collaborate more effectively.

Leveraging FormFast’s best-in-class eForms platform, FormFast Connect empowers patients to review, sign, and fill out forms electronically at home or in the care facility. FormFast Connect continues to support a growing number of healthcare initiatives, including: improving patient registration, enhancing care management, supporting transitions of care, and enabling connected care.

“As health systems are looking for ways to collect patient information electronically in all stages of the care journey; we’re seeing a lot of interest in mobile eForms capabilities in a wide range of care settings – including long-term care and ambulatory facilities,” said FormFast’s Chief Revenue Officer, Art Nicholas.

“We’re excited to be a part of Dreamforce this year, not only to engage with potential customers, but to meet with other vendors and systems integrators in the Salesforce ecosystem that could benefit from our eForms technology,” stated Nicholas. “Building on the work that we’ve done to improve healthcare processes through our partnership with Salesforce, we plan to expand our partner network to help solve more problems for our clients.”

Dreamforce brings together thought leaders, industry pioneers, and thousands of your peers for four high-energy days of learning, inspiration, equality, and fun. With more than 2,700 sessions and thousands of live solutions from the world’s largest cloud ecosystem, Dreamforce has tailored content specific to every industry, role, and company size. We look forward to showcasing the power of FormFast Connect and connecting with the Salesforce community!

Stop by the Healthcare and Life Sciences Industry Lodge – Kiosk #5, to learn more about how FormFast Connect empowers health systems and their patients with document workflow solutions across the care continuum. Find FormFast on the Salesforce AppExchange.

 

View our full press release announcement

NEW CUSTOMER: Absolute Medical Inc.

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Absolute Medical Inc. Adds FormFast Connect to Enhance Salesforce Environment & Leverage Remote Form Capabilties

Absolute Medical Inc.  provides customers with a variety of affordable, cutting edge compression therapy products serviced by our knowledgeable, highly trained staff. Our vision is to empower our customers to be in control of their diagnosis, increase their quality of life, and to obtain a lifelong partnership throughout their medical treatment.

Absolute Medical will be using FormFast Connect to gather patient information and measurements to support their procurement as an integrated solution to SalesForce. The manufacturer was looking for a configurable forms solution to supplement their Salesforce environment, and FormFast Connect was the solution. FormFast will be working with Penrod Consulting, a systems integrator for SalesForce, to bring the solution to Absolute Medical Inc.

With FormFast Connect, patients can review and complete necessary healthcare documentation from any device, at any time, in the conve

nience of their own home, and with family members and caretakers. The information is added to the EHR in real-time and instantly visible to the care team.

Learn more about FormFast Connect.

CUSTOMER GROWTH: Griffin Health

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Griffin Health Makes the Move to FormFast Go – Brings eForms to the Point-of-Care

Griffin Health is a 160-bed acute care community hospital serving more than 130,000 residents of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Region. The hospital is dedicated to improving the health of their community and the quality of life and well being of residents. By providing leadership and resources that benefit the community, Griffin Health has and will continue to make the Lower Naugatuck Valley a better place to live, work, raise a family, and enjoy life.

Griffin Health is implementing FormFast Go to enhance their FormFast Capture solution. FormFast Go enables clinical forms to be electronically displayed, completed, and e-signed via a mobile tablet at the point-of-care. This solution helps the hospital accelerate documentation, achieve more accurate form selection, and improve clinical workflow.

Everyone throughout the entire Griffin Health System works to ensure that their philosophy of patient-centered care permeates the organization on every level. FormFast, with its document automation solutions, is helping the hospital achieve its mission.

CUSTOMER GROWTH: Providence Health

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Providence Health Implements Web FormImprint to Enhance Epic EHR and Improve Patient Documentation

Providence Health is committed to providing for the needs of their communities—especially for those who are poor and vulnerable. Their care and services reach from beginning to end of life, including acute care, physician clinics, health insurance, long-term and assisted living, palliative and hospice care, home health, supportive housing and education. Meeting th

e needs of their communities remains at the heart of Providence Health’s mission.

Enhancing their Epic EHR environment, St. Patrick’s Hospital and St. Joseph Health expanded their use of FormFast with the upgrade to Web FormImprint.

FormFast enables the organizations to produce patient-specific documentation on-demand. Other FormFast solutions used by Providence Health include FastPrint Enterprise, Form Designer, Nursing Imprint, Checks-AP/Payroll, and Admission.

CUSTOMER GROWTH: Columbia Memorial Hospital

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Columbia Memorial Hospital Deploys FastPrint and eSignature

Columbia Memorial Hospital in Hudson is one of the most innovative and technically advanced facilities in the Hudson Valley. Over the last 10 years, the hospital has invested more than $51 million in new facilities and equipment improvements, including surgical instrumentation, patient information systems and medical imaging technologies. Highlights of their updated facilities include the state-of-the-art emergency and surgical departments, nine-bed Intensive Care Unit, and 71,300 square-foot office building and parking garage annex to make care easily accessible.

Columbia Memorial Hospital will be deploying FormFast’s FastPrint/eSignature bundle. Other solutions used by the hospital include FormCentral, Checks-AP/AR, and FormImprint. These solutions free up time and resources for the hospital, allowing it to better provide their communities with safe, high-quality, comprehensive health care services in a dignified and compassionate environment.

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