Time is of the essence in healthcare facilities. Healthcare organizations need quick and easy access to a substantial amount of data and information including electronic medical records (EMR), patient information, medications, physician notes, and lab results. Physicians, nurses, and various support staff don’t have time to sift through mountains of paper documents to find what they're looking for; they need to focus their limited time and bandwidth on what’s most important – patients – rather than searching for information.
So how can the healthcare industry navigate document and information management challenges to remain productive?
A robust content management system (CMS) that captures, stores, and retrieves both paper and electronic documents can offer multiple key benefits to healthcare organizations.
Top 3 Benefits of Implementing a Content Management System for Healthcare Organizations
A comprehensive content management system will integrate various departments including accounts payable and human resources, automate workflows to streamline critical processes and minimize content errors to boost productivity. The right CMS will collect, store, and deliver information in a way that is private, secure, and follows all industry and HIPAA protocols.
Here are the top benefits of implementing a content management system for your healthcare organization.
1. HIPAA Compliance
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) outlines the safeguards healthcare organizations are required to put in place to secure patient’s Protected Health Information (PHI). PHI includes physical and electronic information that healthcare organizations retain regarding patient health, healthcare plans, and related data including but not limited to:
- Insurance information
- Social security numbers
- Bank accounts
- Medical record numbers
- Biometric identifiers (i.e. retinal scan, fingerprints)
Failure to adequately secure PHI can result in costly fines, reputational damage, and even imprisonment. While the consequences of non-compliance are hefty, content management systems are positioned to help healthcare providers achieve continual compliance.
By implementing a content management system, healthcare organizations can safely archive files, documents, and data to a central repository, making it easier to comply with HIPAA data retention policies. Here are a few other ways a CMS helps healthcare organizations achieve HIPAA compliance.
- Built-in audit trail capabilities enable speedy document retrieval
- Paper-based patient records can be quickly scanned and entered into the CMS
- Encryption, role-based access control, and regular data backups ensure electronic PHI data is secured at all times
- Relevant documentation is easily tracked with a configurable and user-friendly dashboard
2. Mobile Access
Mobile access is a growing necessity for healthcare consumers. Patients prefer communication with their health providers through electronic portals accessible through their mobile devices compared to physical documents. A recent change in federal policy reflects this trend as new federal rules allow patients to access medical records via smartphones.
With more healthcare consumers accessing their medical records through mobile, healthcare organizations need to have the capability to deliver documents electronically and in ways that are mobile-friendly. A comprehensive content management system will support browser-based functionality, which will allow healthcare consumers to access relevant information via tablet or smartphone anywhere at any time.
3. Seamless Integrations with Existing Technology
Healthcare professionals shouldn't be tasked with having to juggle between various applications. Requiring healthcare professionals to navigate various apps or systems can lead to frustration and lost productivity.
Since most healthcare organizations have various tools to interact with their clients and prospects, one of the greatest benefits of a content management system is the ability to seamlessly integrate with existing technology or legacy systems such as Outlook, SharePoint, Microsoft Office, ERP systems, MailChimp, and HubSpot. A CMS should have features that:
- Enable information to flow between disparate systems
- Eliminates the need to switch back and forth between applications
- Integrates with leading third-party services
Stay Compliant, Agile, and Organized with a Customized Content Management System for Healthcare
Healthcare organizations that choose to invest in a content management system can digitize paper documents and sensitive patient information in a way that is private, secure, and follows industry and HIPAA protocols. Patients and healthcare providers will appreciate and come to rely upon the extensive benefits a robust content management system offers their healthcare organization.
Ready to spend more time with patients and less time searching for documents? Partner with a trusted content management service provider to implement a cost-effective content management system tailored to your healthcare organization.
