How Document Management Helps Doctors Stay Compliant

healthcare

Compliance is a pretty big topic in the healthcare industry--since, after all, there's a lot of sensitive information in play every time a patient walks in the door. The good news is that, with a little help from document management, doctors and other healthcare professionals can stay compliant without breaking a sweat.

Controlling Compliance

There are a lot of different "types" of compliance in the healthcare industry. Each has its own set of rules and regulations--and while compliance itself isn't a problem, keeping up with every little detail certainly can be. That's why some healthcare organizations use document management to create a sort of "problem/solution approach" to compliance.

To find out how it works, let's start by taking a look at the rules themselves, and then we'll step back to see how document management creates solutions.

Rules

Here are a few particularly important types of compliance:

  • Privacy: An individual's health data and records can only be disclosed, used, or shared under certain circumstances.
  • Security: Certain measures must be taken to defend sensitive data both physically and digitally.
  • Breach Notification: In case of a breach in health data security, individuals must be notified in specific ways and within certain time periods.

Problems and Solutions

Here's how document management can address the challenges associated with compliance!

Privacy

Problem: It's challenging to be sure sensitive information is only used under compliant circumstances.

Solution: Document management provides user authentication tools and user access limitations to control who can see which files.

Security

Problem: New digital attacks are continually being developed to steal healthcare data.

Solution: With document management, it's easy to mix and match security features, so information is just as safe online as it is in the file cabinet. Good organization techniques (like consistent naming conventions) are another simple yet effective answer to security concerns.

Breach Notification

Problem: It isn't easy to keep track of information related to a breach and focus on notifying impacted individuals.

Solution: Document management helps keep records on file access and data usage, so it's clear what steps are being taken, what information was impacted by a breach, and which notification regulations apply.

Document management can make compliance a breeze for healthcare organizations. What can it do for you? Contact us today to find out!