We’ve all been to that doctor who has thousands of files behind the front desk with patient records dating back 50+ years. We also have all been to that doctor who takes forever to process claims and send out bills. These things make doctors less efficient and less productive. They also cause patients to become frustrated. Fortunately, there is a solution to old files piling up and the slow claims process: technology! Technology improves the quality of healthcare. However, many companies miss using new technologies to their advantage. These technological changes improve the overall healthcare workflow from the initial patient registration to the billing process. As healthcare companies become more efficient and accurate, the quality of treatment for patients increases. For this reason, healthcare companies must take the benefits of new technological developments seriously. Here are five technology changes to improve healthcare workflow and quality.
Healthcare Workflow via Data Management
1. Patient Registration
Clunky registration processes interfere with quality healthcare. They take up valuable time. Documents pile up. As a result, inconsistencies become normal. When it comes to healthcare, inconsistencies just aren’t acceptable; in fact, they can be downright dangerous to patient health.
With digitized documents and data management, patient information is properly stored, accurate, and available. This enables easy access and movement of patient information.
Prior to an appointment, registration forms can be emailed (securely) to the patient ahead of time. The patients complete and submit the forms from the comfort of their own home. When they arrive at the office for their appointment, all they have to do is check in! This process can cut down on patient wait time, and also allows the office staff to pick up on anything that needs to be addressed prior to the appointment (i.e. change in insurance, updated address, etc.).
2. Scanning
Scanning documents makes physical copies unnecessary. Therefore, this is the obvious choice for the healthcare industry. Paper file storage is expensive. It takes up a lot of space and time with filing and retrieving and is far less efficient. Scanning healthcare documents is the first step toward increasing the quality of healthcare workflow. In addition, it eliminates the outdated hassle of dealing with mountains of filed paper and rooms of filing cabinets.
A good healthcare workflow occurs when everything in the office is digitized. Old documents and patient files can be scanned into digital healthcare platforms. Faxed documents can be easily scanned in as well. Through automation and AI, information from these physical documents is easily extracted and placed into the proper digital form. While it can be a big project to scan in years and years of patient records, it will be worth it in the end.
3. Real-time Reporting
Instant and accurate reports are benefits of digitizing and managing healthcare information. Creating physical reports wastes time and space. Additionally, pulling digital data for reports takes much less time than unnecessary data entry. Therefore, with accurate and lightning-fast reporting, healthcare professionals have the information they need to make important decisions. Overall, these decisions improve the quality of healthcare.
There are many different types of reports that need to be run by healthcare providers. Data like a summary of new patients in the last 6 months or records of billing are things that would take hours if they were done via physical data entry. With everything digitized, reports can be done in real time whenever they are needed.
4. Claims Processing
Moving claims through in a timely manner is a stressful and difficult process. However, the quality of healthcare is sometimes determined by this speed and accuracy. As a result of claims processing, all relevant supporting documentation is available to processors. Therefore, processors make informed and quick decisions about filed claims. Through a digitized healthcare management platform, documents, test results, and patient records can easily be shared back and forth with insurance companies, allowing claims to be processed much faster than if it was being done via fax or email.
5. Security
As much as we’d like to think doctors’ offices are a safe place, there is always the possibility that physical patients’ records can be stolen, which can lead to various forms of identity or credit card theft. As a result, storing documents digitally with a company like Vasion is far more secure than any physical filing option. Document and data access is given or restrained at different tiers. Therefore, your data-access model is completely tailored to your needs. Security is an absolute priority in the healthcare industry. Overall, failure can result in prosecution and loss of medical licenses for healthcare providers.
Don’t run the risk of a security breach. Digitize the healthcare workflow at your office to provide the best security possible for your patients. Remember, medical providers must comply with HIPAA laws, which protect patients against the risk of their personal medical information being disclosed. Going digital is one way to make sure the medical information your office has is secure.
Make the Right Healthcare Workflow Decision
Your healthcare company cannot afford to stay in the past. Outdated processes mean outdated quality. Ultimately, technology is developing for healthcare providers, which helps healthcare customers. It all starts with patient registration. Long gone are the days where patients need to arrive 30 minutes prior to their appointment just to fill out paperwork. Digital registration paperwork not only saves the patient time, but it saves the office a lot of space that would otherwise be taken up by file cabinets. Further automation can occur with reporting, the claims process, and transitioning old paper files to digital files. Perhaps the best benefit of all is that this improved workflow makes sensitive information on file much more secure. If you are a medical provider, you can improve your healthcare workflow today with Vasion for the kind of advancement everyone needs. Contact Vasion for more information about our system.