Healthcare providers continue to feel the pressure of ongoing financial hardships, rising patient demands, and alarming burnout rates.
Fortunately, providers have an opportunity to improve profitability, patient satisfaction and outcomes all while reducing burnout by eliminating unnecessary administrative tasks. How? By cutting down on paper processes within their practice.
Continue reading for several ways you can build a paperless practice to meet productivity and patient engagement goals.
Enhancing Efficiency with Digital Solutions
Despite 85% of healthcare practices having implemented an EHR system as of 2017 to manage patient medical records, many continue to utilize paper processes for taking notes and retrieving patient consent through handwritten forms. In fact, the average practice uses approximately 1,200 pieces of paper a month which can cost billions in lost revenue.
Switching to electronic forms (e-forms) can eliminate the need for manual data entry, reducing errors and allowing providers to update records anytime, anywhere. Digitizing documents also streamlines information sharing with other practices, regulators, and patients, helping meet evolving regulatory requirements like the 21st Century Cures Act.
Eliminate Faxing for Better Data Sharing
reating bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Outdated fax machines hinder data sharing both internally and externally. By eliminating faxing, providers can enhance communication within care teams, reduce costs, and improve staff efficiency. Electronic faxing enables secure, online data sharing across multi-location practices and for providers who travel between sites, streamlining operations and improving patient care.
Boost Patient Engagement with Virtual Care
As the consumerization of healthcare continues, patients are looking for more convenient ways to access their providers. In fact, 70% of patients want the ability to electronically communicate with their providers, even beyond video chat.
Using paperless solutions, providers can increase patient engagement and satisfaction both in and out of the office. With intelligent intake solutions providers can integrate patient information directly into the EHR, and with appointment reminders, secure texts, electronic billing statements and more, practices can reduce no-shows and cut down on phone tag – ultimately increasing profitability, saving time and reducing frustration and burnout among staff.
Want to learn more about reaching your practice’s goals by decreasing paper use? Click here to download our Paperless Practice Playbook for a worksheet to outline your practice’s paper pain points and a guide on how going digital can help.
