Wet signatures have long been used by healthcare organizations for interactions that require approval. PDFs with signature lines have recently gained popularity. However, interactions between clinicians and patients remain delayed, with unnecessary back-and-forth.
This is unacceptable in today’s fast-paced consumer market, where eSignatures for healthcare organizations must be immediate and easy.
In this article, we’ll look at why the next generation of eSignatures is such an important aspect of any digital transformation program. We will also demonstrate how they are only one component of a larger automated operation.
Why Are Wet Signatures a Problem in Healthcare?
The healthcare industry is bound by strict compliance rules and an extensive network of players (e.g., doctors, nurses, patients, insurance firms). It’s all too tempting to rely on physical documents and moist signatures to assure HIPAA compliance and avoid penalties.
However, healthcare staff and the patients they serve are drowning in paperwork. Paperwork takes up valuable time that could be spent saving and improving lives.
Patients are also burdened by paperwork since they are compelled to deal with bureaucracy while dealing with the physical and emotional demands of their therapy. Consider a cancer patient who arrives at a clinic for chemotherapy.
They are given a clipboard and told to fill out paperwork, where they will most likely be requested to repeat information they previously submitted.
They must then sign a consent document. This only adds to the stress of an already difficult situation. Other times, papers and moist signatures are not only inconvenient but even impossible.
Telehealth has transformed patient care by allowing patients to receive medical evaluations and guidance without having to travel to a physical site. However, it renders traditional documentation requirements difficult.
The Advantages of Mobile-First Electronic Signatures
Electronic signature solutions have developed as a significant tool for confronting these difficulties. eSign technologies are revolutionizing healthcare by streamlining administrative procedures, improving the patient experience, strengthening security and compliance, lowering costs, and speeding up decision-making.
1. Simple Migration
Healthcare decision-makers frequently postpone digitization because they are afraid of the migration process and that old paperwork will be lost or difficult to update.
However, the most recent eSignature technologies allow current paper forms and documents to be turned into signable digital forms that may be digitally saved.
2. Improved Patient Experience
Patients can arrive at a doctor’s appointment MRI, or hospital with their papers and documents already filled out and signed thanks to a simple mobile environment.
When customers arrive at the facility, they can avoid filling out documents in the waiting room and go straight to the therapy they require. Billing can and should be done using a digital, mobile interface to save patients time.
3. Improved Efficiency
An eSignature system saves valuable staff time by eliminating the need to scan Healthcare papers. Healthcare forms and documents can be generated rapidly and pre-populated with patient data.
Because a digital system is easier to maintain and update, employees may be confident that they always get the most up-to-date version of a specific document or form.
4. Constant Compliance
The finest eSignature solutions are built on HIPAA-compliant text messaging and include a time-stamped, tamper-proof paper trail, which protects the integrity of sensitive patient data and eliminates risk.
Documents handled using digital technologies are safely and securely kept and are easily available – but only to authorized eyes.
Use Cases for eSignatures in Healthcare Companies
eSignatures have numerous applications in healthcare. Here are several examples:
Approve timesheets, prescriptions, and patient discharges.
- Send signed prescriptions to remote patients in a telehealth context. Complete a fully digital staff onboarding process, from the offer letter to training documentation.
- Facilitate the signing of all FDA-regulated clinical trial forms.
- Expedite patient (HIPAA) consent forms
- Enable Medicare billing.
- ESignatures can be used by a variety of departments within a healthcare organization, including finance, legal, and service teams.
The Role of eSignatures in an Automated Process
When used as part of a fully automated digital workflow, eSignatures give the greatest benefit to healthcare professionals.
When patients are not actively receiving treatment, they should be able to complete all aspects of their patient experience in a timely, efficient, and mobile manner.
A shorter time to completion indicates a better patient experience, happier healthcare personnel, and fewer overhead expenses – all while maintaining high compliance standards.
Confusion
To summarise, the use of electronic signatures in the healthcare business offers a huge step forward in terms of streamlining procedures, boosting data security, and improving the overall patient experience.
By utilizing this technology, healthcare organizations can decrease administrative hassles, accelerate processes, and assure regulatory compliance.
Electronic signatures not only save time and money, but they also help to create a more efficient and patient-centered healthcare ecosystem.
As the industry evolves, accepting electronic signatures will play a critical role in creating the future of healthcare, encouraging accessibility, and advancing patient care quality.
