Document management in healthcare

Document management in healthcare

Written by Ana Canteli on 3 September 2021

Documentation is like teaching books in the healthcare industry, two indissoluble concepts that will always go hand in hand. Patient care has always led to creating a large amount of information that must be collected and managed correctly: records, forms, medical tests, prescriptions. In short, all the healthcare documents that are part of patients' clinical history, plus the health centers; income management, allocation of beds, discharges, etc., whether these are public hospitals or private clinics.

The management of medical documentation is essential in the healthcare industry as it directly affects the trust and reliability of patients and their families. But also in the administration of healthcare organizations as they are. This happens both for the patient and internally; the healthcare industry generates a high volume of healthcare documents, which, if not managed rigorously, can be the source of many problems.

Benefits of document management in the healthcare sector

That is why document management systems in health centers are becoming a common element that can be counted on to face the challenges and threats that healthcare organizations face daily.

• Saving time: the fever for productivity has also reached the health sector. And in order not to put the quality of the service at risk, it is necessary to have a sound document management system, which allows professionals to access the documentation when they need it and not later. The management of document processes, the digitization of documentation, among other possibilities that a sound healthcare document management system should provide, will have a lot to do with this.

• Cost savings: directly related to the previous point. The higher the productivity, the more significant the reduction is in the expenses incurred in the exercise of the care activity. Following the example suggested above, the digitization of documentation supposes a substantial saving in managing the physical space dedicated to the custody of files.

• Information security: seldom do we find such a quantity of sensitive documentation generated. Ensuring the confidentiality of data is one of the fundamental pillars of healthcare organizations. Document managers must guarantee that users who access healthcare documents are authorized to do so and access on the terms provided to offer a safe and quality service.

• Improvement of document processes: document management systems provide the necessary tools to improve information management in everything related to the document flow, implementing measures to improve quality management (at an administrative, operational, managerial level, relationship with third parties ...). Document digitization programs, which speed up access to clinical documentation and help keep documentation update - going through the impact on daily management with, for example, digital signature solutions. Even more strategic objectives, such as knowledge management within hospitals, as they can aspire to carry out scientific research projects.

• Error reduction: Generation of duplicates. Problems with versioning the documents are part of patients' medical records, loss, or unauthorized destruction of documents. To err is human, and healthcare document management systems help mitigate the impact that failures could have at an organizational or even legal level.

• Regulatory compliance: health is one of the most controlled and intervened sectors out there. Therefore, making sure that all the tasks carried out in a hospital center respect the regulations and laws of the sector is a source of security and guarantee to be focused on the industry's primary objective, which is to provide the best patient care. Records management systems must provide control tools at different levels, from notification services, which alert users subscribed to the contents of any changes to the files. The presence of reports to obtain detailed information on any relevant aspects or audit trails to inspect documents, events, or the activities of a user if necessary. The implementation of automation or workflows also helps to ensure regulatory compliance while relieving human resources of low-value tasks.

OpenKM's records management software has all the tools and functionalities necessary to implement a secure, flexible and reliable document management system in hospitals and clinics both publicly and privately managed.

Safe because the program meets the highest standards in document management. Flexible because, we all know, the ways of working change and evolve, and the healthcare center that chooses OpenKM has the security of being able to update its processes, without this being an inconvenience neither for the users of the system nor the patients. And reliable because in the event of an incident, the healthcare document management software saves all the information related to any event in the system.

The records management license includes integration tools together with a complete API so that, if necessary, the DMS can be connected with other applications present in the medical center. If the organization has the technical capacity, it will carry out the developments with total independence. Otherwise, they can count on our collaboration through customization and consulting services.

The document management software is marketed in an on-premise version, installed on the server owned by the client, or in a cloud version. It can also be installed in a hybrid version. If the organization has different locations, the multi-tenat module can be attractive; since the same installation is amortized, while the documentation is compartmentalized, accessible exclusively for each office or health care center.

Let's not forget that the acceptance and consistent use of the document management platform is a fundamental element of the success of any document management system. For this reason, at OpenKM, we offer training programs adapted to different profiles that facilitate program management for all users.

If you want more information about the advantages and benefits that OpenKM can bring you, do not hesitate to contact us.