Improved patient access and ownership over medical records and improved interoperability between medical establishments are core goals that the Federal government has been promoting for a long time. Portability and patient access were key aspects of HIPAA, and the new 2020 CMS Interoperability and Patient Access Final Rule has codified those principles into law in expansive new ways.
Adoption of EHR and EMR are key to being able to meet evolving portability and interoperability requirements because electronic documents can be securely and easily moved in a way paper records simply can’t. As a result, it’s more important than ever that clinics go digital in order to ensure they both keep up to date with the law and avoid the potential long-term consequences of falling behind.
At the same time, moving to electronic recordkeeping also removes the enormous burden of storing, securing, and managing the huge volume of paper records that naturally build up over the years in a healthcare environment. By going digital, clinics can minimize the space they need and enable their staff to manage records in a much more logical, more easily accessible way than stacks of physical filing cabinets. That saves both time and money, improves care delivery, and eliminates the headaches associated with moving, managing, and in many cases, even just finding records.
Unfortunately, many clinics have been slow to warm up to electronic records because of the cost and effort associated with adopting new systems and training staff and doctors in their use. Luckily, the sales and customer service world has developed a set of tools ideally suited to making that transition as easy as possible: CRM.
How Customer Resource Management Can Help the Transition to Digital Record-Keeping
Customer resource management software has gained enormous popularity in recent years across almost the entire business world, and it’s now breaking into the healthcare world as well thanks to its unique ability to marry improved service and care delivery with smarter operations. In the case of document handling, CRM represents a highly accessible and low-cost way for healthcare organizations to adopt digital recordkeeping and all of the benefits that come along with it.
Unparalleled Document Records Management
Customer resource management software enables you to go completely digital – eliminating the need for paper forms entirely if you so choose. High-end healthcare CRMs like MedicalCRM include full Adobe Sign functionality, enabling you to handle signatures completely digitally. That means regardless of what paperwork you’re sending – from releases to screenings to admission forms, requests, or anything else – you can send and retrieve everything completely digitally – legally signed – with no need for you, your staff, or your patients to ever worry about printing or scanning anything. That also means your patients can take care of their paperwork from home before they ever set foot in your offices, minimizing wait times, and improving patient experience.
From a document storage standpoint, MedicalCRM offers unlimited document storage, ensuring you’ll never run into a wall – or any extra costs – associated with document storage, no matter how rapidly your clinic grows.
HIPAA-Compliant Security
CRM tools are traditionally built for sales environments and do not necessarily comply with HIPAA. However, healthcare-specific CRMs are built to ensure full compliance with all laws surrounding EHR and EMR storage and use.
In the case of MedicalCRM, the document storage system is built on Amazon’s most secure AWS solution – one built specifically with medical applications and security in mind. The rest of the platform undergoes constant security reassessments, penetration testing, and updating to ensure that MedicalCRM is secured against even the newest and most advanced threats. The result is that your clinic can enjoy all the convenience of digital recordkeeping – along with a complete set of sales and productivity features designed to enhance growth and generate revenues – with full confidence that your patients’ sensitive ePHI is fully secured.
While improved document handling is a major advantage, the benefits of adopting a medical customer resource management system go far beyond paperwork. All areas of a clinic’s operations stand to benefit from CRM software, a tool designed specifically to help your entire team work smarter, to eliminate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, and to improve relationships with customers, or, in the case of the medical world, patients. From billing to appointment confirmations, to scheduling, to real-time note-taking, to digital chart management and beyond, an advanced platform like MedicalCRM offers something for every member of your staff.
If you’re ready to find out more about what MedicalCRM can do for your clinic, get in touch with a member of the team, or book your free guided demonstration of the software today!
