Smaller medical or dental offices may not have the IT infrastructure to manage technology issues on their own. That means that healthcare staff, whose main focus is patient care, are spending their valuable time troubleshooting when tech issues inevitably arise. Here are the top four ways that healthcare offices can provide better patient experiences with more advanced technology.
Comply with HIPPA Requirements
Security is an important focus for all organizations, but especially in healthcare. With medical, financial, and insurance records used each and every day in patient care and billing, hospitals and medical offices have a special responsibility to safeguard their data. This responsibility is laid out in HIPPA, government, and insurance requirements that require privacy of patient records by law.
Because of the efficiency of modern healthcare, care providers require the transmission of electronic medical records, often across multiple locations. This stellar use of technology results in quick, high-quality care, but it’s important to update your medical office’s equipment to stay on top of potential IT threats.
According to HIPPA, “While many factors may contribute to an organization’s decision to continue to use a legacy system, it is important that the organization include security in its considerations, especially when the legacy system could be used to access, store, create, maintain, receive, or transmit electronic personal health records (ePHI).”
Great Lakes Bay Health Centers prioritized cybersecurity when working with Applied Innovation to replace all printers and copiers throughout their 28-location footprint. With the accompanying shift to electronic medical records, the need for standardized, efficient communications across facilities while maintaining HIPAA compliance was critical. Applied, with decades of experience in healthcare, has proven experience in hardware and software solutions that focus on patient privacy and network security issues. With a badge-release Print Management Service, jobs can be stored in printers until a user is ready to pick up their print job. This eliminated printout pileup and improved HIPAA security.
Offer Secure Document Destruction
Though many medical records and forms have now transitioned to an electronic format, some items still require physical, paper copies. The existence of these physical records can create a security issue if they are not disposed of properly, as required by federal HIPPA regulations.
According to HIPPA, medical offices are responsible for the secure disposal of personal health records (PHI). They say, “In general, examples of proper disposal methods may include, but are not limited to: For PHI in paper records, shredding, burning, pulping, or pulverizing the records so that PHI is rendered essentially unreadable, indecipherable, and otherwise cannot be reconstructed.”
Hope Network Neuro Rehabilitation Center sought a partner to securely destroy confidential health documents on-site and outside of normal pickup schedules. Applied Innovation provided secure, locked containers for sensitive documents and created a pick-up schedule at intervals that worked for the organization.
Implement Automation
No matter your industry, simple, humdrum tasks can cost your business hours in dead time. Especially in healthcare, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can complete repetitive tasks like data compilation, admission processes, compliance, analytics, and appointment turnaround can be completed with automation, allowing care providers to focus on diagnoses, personal patient care, innovative treatments, surgery, and more.
RPA uses metaphorical software robots to learn, mimic, and execute rules-based business processes. By partnering with a technology firm to implement an RPA strategy, medical offices and hospitals can deliver high-quality patient care at reduced costs.
Focus on the Patient Experience
Above all, healthcare is about the patient; care providers’ principle task is addressing medical concerns while providing a safe, secure, and welcoming environment. If staff are busy tackling complex IT tasks, they cannot give their full attention to the patient. That’s where partnering with an expert technology firm comes in.
Barton Chiropractic needed new software and a network-driven environment, but with no IT professionals on staff, technology issues were handled by the doctors. The office needed a partner that would take minimal existing technology, create a streamlined and efficient system, and keep the system up and running.
Applied Innovation revamped and streamlined Barton’s entire network and workflows. With one printer in a centralized location, ongoing service and maintenance, and a Managed IT plan that ensures proactive monitoring and support, the Barton team is able to focus on what matters most: their patients.
Advanced Technology for Better Care
By complying with HIPPA regulations, offering secure document destruction and implementing automation, a skilled technology firm can help your medical office or hospital focus on patient care and outcomes.
Applied Innovation does all this and more. Our clients regularly report symptoms of greatly increased operational efficiency, lower costs, and improved patient experiences.
At Applied Innovation, we have over 35 years of technology expertise, 500+ team members, world-class brand partners, and a passion you’ll rarely find in a business like ours. Plus, as an independent dealer, we have the autonomy to always do what’s right for you.
Whether your goal is adopting new technologies, making smarter use of the tools you already use, or maybe a mix of both, our people are always available. And always happy to help.
We’re always available to support your unique technology, imaging, or automation needs. Applied Innovation experts are just a call, click, or visit away with offices in Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, and Tampa, Florida.
To hear more about companies that Applied has supported with technology services, check out these case studies: https://www.appliedinnovation.com/about-us/resources/#casestudies