Posts

Making Patient Signatures Secure, Private, and Compliant

/in , , , /by

An estimated 76.5% of healthcare providers still use paper consent forms. This is even though most of these organizations have been using electronic health records (EHRs) for nearly a decade.

Understandably, many organizations are reluctant to change any element of healthcare that’s so crucial to compliance and patient safety, but paper consent forms create their own problems. About 67% of patients are missing consent forms on the day of surgery, for example. This is a major obstacle to efficiency in healthcare and a serious compliance risk.

Fortunately, there is a better way. Electronic informed consent and remote patient intake solutions rely on eSignatures instead of traditional pen and paper. The benefits of eSignature solutions mirror the benefits of other digital healthcare solutions, giving organizations greater control and insight into every step of their operations. Electronic forms are easier to customize, more secure, and more accurate. This means there’s less risk of compliance violations, which benefits both patients and providers.

Here are a few specific ways electronic forms powered by eSignature improve upon their paper counterparts:

1. Better accessibility and security.

Unlike a traditional consent form, which can be modified after the fact and viewed by anyone with access to the document, an electronic consent form is only accessible to those who need to see or fill it out. Administrators can manage access to forms based on their own criteria, granting access only to the people who need it.

For patient intake forms that are being completed remotely, patients are required to create an account using two-factor authentication to validate their identity. In this case, patients need to provide their date of birth and click on a link sent to them either through email or text.

2. Greater flexibility.

Consent forms are rarely one-size-fits-all documents. Each procedure requires different information, and everything needs to be easy for patients to understand. Electronic consent forms make it simple to modify and annotate forms. Forms are updated instantly as older forms are simultaneously disabled, eliminating any chance of confusion or obsolete information playing a role.

Healthcare providers can fully customize each form, choosing between options like free text fields, drop-down lists, and checkboxes. Electronic forms also make it possible to link to additional information, using videos, pictures, or even specific landing pages to help patients better understand their upcoming procedures.

This flexibility helps hospital administrators and patients. Electronic consent forms are easier to access, quicker to complete, and simple to understand.

3. Reduced liability.

Informed consent comes with a host of hoops that need to be jumped through to reduce liability and ensure compliance with HIPAA regulations. Electronic informed consent makes this easier in a number of ways.

For one, fields can be populated automatically with existing information, virtually eliminating the risk of errors from repeatedly filling out forms manually. There are also built-in safeguards to ensure that every patient has everything filled out before the day of surgery.

eSignature also enables every document to be filed and archived instantly. There’s no need to manually scan forms, mitigating the risk that something gets lost or misfiled. And with eSignature solutions, every form is automatically locked in and stamped with the date and time of signing, verifying the authenticity of each document.

Most healthcare organizations have already been relying on EHRs for years. The next step should be to continue that digital journey and adopt electronic informed consent, making the lives of patients and healthcare organizations easier.

Interlace Health can help you take this step, with a comprehensive platform of digital healthcare solutions equipped with eSignature that can integrate seamlessly with your EHR and other existing technologies. To learn more about our eSignature solution, download our whitepaper on the topic here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: 

Over the past five years, Lauren Ziegler has been a member of Interlace Health’s Marketing team, coordinating and executing marketing communication initiatives, such as copywriting and content management, public and media relations, social media, and corporate communications. She has over a decade of experience in working with technology companies. Lauren is passionate about helping the healthcare community understand Interlace’s Health’s value, vision, and commitment to improving experiences for providers, patients, and staff.

Increasing Accessibility and Emphasizing Interoperability

/in , , , /by

Technology brought so many of us together during the past year, but it’s not as accessible to some as it is to others. In certain underserved and remote communities, the digital divide is quite real — as are its implications. Many rural areas and locations heavily populated by disadvantaged groups have inconsistent internet access, and plenty of households lack the devices necessary to connect to the internet.

Households in rural areas were 11% less likely to have broadband access than those in more urban areas; those with incomes under $25,000 were also 45% less likely to have broadband access. Black and Hispanic patients with certain chronic conditions were respectively 51% and 42% less likely to have quality internet capabilities. A number of factors (e.g., age, sex, socioeconomic status, disability, and geographic location) play a role in decreasing the likelihood that some have better access to an increasingly digital world than others.

Without access to consistent, quality internet, patients can’t use video functionality to access telehealth. In some cases, they might even struggle to get an audio connection. There is a clear need to bridge the gap between hospitals and healthcare organizations looking to expand their digital front doors and enhance their telehealth options to the patients who would like to engage virtually but cannot.

Increasing access to healthcare is critically important — particularly digitally. Although the healthcare industry alone can’t address the problem, health systems can do their part now to ensure that their technology foundation is strong and capable of supporting a more accessible future.

Interoperability and the Digital Front Door in Healthcare

A major part of being ready to open the digital front door in healthcare is considering whether all of your integrations are digital. If a health system offers a fantastic digital registration process but still relies on paper documents once patients arrive for appointments, the lack of consistency hurts everyone involved.

However, implementing new digital healthcare solutions means nothing without a focus on interoperability. Any new technologies added should integrate with existing software for optimal data exchange and efficiency. For digital solutions to power health systems and expand their digital front doors, everyone involved must ensure seamless integration between existing and new technologies — also known as interoperability.

Here are three of the main benefits of interoperability:

1. Improved operational efficiency in healthcare.

Having digital healthcare solutions that communicate with one another in real time cuts down on repetitive tasks. The technology also improves data accessibility in healthcare, decreasing the administrative burden and streamlining clinical functions.

2. Increased efficiency — and quality of care.

With integrated, interoperable solutions, staff in healthcare organizations see improved and more efficient workflows. The automated nature of Interlace Health’s solutions frees up staff time, allowing them to focus on providing quality care.

3. Reduced burnout.

When digital healthcare solutions work together as intended, physicians and healthcare staff can minimize repetitive tasks and streamline manual processes. As a result, they can benefit from reduced burnout and improved workflows.

Interlace Health offers digital solutions that integrate seamlessly with other technologies health systems have in place. Contact us today to learn more about how your organization could benefit. We can help you prepare to open your own digital front door.

 

How Digital Healthcare Solutions Increase Staff Safety

/in , , , /by

Healthcare organizations have spent the past year adapting and transforming — with technology playing a major role. Providers everywhere have seen the power of digital healthcare solutions and are now implementing them to strengthen operations.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers have worked to limit the spread of the virus and keep both staff members and patients safe. Given how easily the virus can spread through contact with contaminated surfaces, especially in places like hospitals and doctor’s offices, it has been imperative to protect people and minimize exposure.

Technology made that possible. Digital solutions like electronic informed consent and eSignature help healthcare providers limit the risk of staff members and patients coming into contact with contaminated surfaces.

The more healthcare providers implement solutions like this, the safer and better healthcare becomes. These solutions enable providers to gather necessary information, register patients safely, and transmit information electronically, all without the need for direct contact. They also reduce the time patients spend in waiting rooms with staff and, as a result, limit the risk of the virus spreading in those environments.

The Benefits of Informed Consent and eSignature

While many digital solutions can greatly impact healthcare, informed consent and eSignature solutions, specifically, provide the following benefits to both staff and patients. They ensure that electronic forms are:

1. Filled out and archived.

Electronic consent forms and eSignature create quick and seamless workflows. Healthcare providers can easily generate the forms they need by scanning a barcode on a wristband or finding it in the on-demand form library. These forms can then auto-populate and pre-fill certain content, sometimes even via speech-to-text functionality.

When patients sign consent forms using eSignature, their forms are temporarily stored, saved, and ready for additional clinician signatures. Incomplete forms remain easily accessible to ensure they’re reviewed and completed on time before a procedure. Once forms are completed and all signatures are captured, the documents are instantly saved to the EHR.

2. Compliant and complete.

Compliance is a critical part of healthcare, and ensuring that forms are compliant is a critical part of the process. Our Informed Consent and eSignature solutions ensure that forms meet all regulatory requirements — and in a way that’s easy to understand.

Forms using eSignature are always legible (because they require no handwritten information), collect all necessary details, ensure patient education, and meet all CMS guidelines as well as state, local, and organizational requirements. All signatures are also time-stamped, recording the date and time every consent took place.

3. Convenient and reliable.

eSignature capabilities and electronic informed consent have completely changed the way hospitals and health systems collect, store, and use information. Clinicians can collect electronic signatures from anywhere — at a patient’s bedside or from that patient’s home. Even more, the signatures are immediately available to the care team anywhere, anytime, and on any device.

This technology keeps patient signatures and consents from getting lost. It ensures forms are easily accessible and readily available on the day of a procedure. Healthcare organizations that rely on paper forms must contend with lost or misplaced paperwork, incorrectly filed information, and manual entry. With informed consent and eSignature, healthcare organizations know that paperwork will be ready whenever and wherever they need it.

At Interlace Health, we transform workflows with our digital solutions. If you’re ready to implement these solutions in your organization today, click here to learn more.

 

Copyright © 2023 Interlace Health