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.
Digitizing Paper for Better Efficiency and Productivity
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.
Instead of having to scan and input data from paper into an EHR, a process that runs at a high risk for human error, practices can use a solution like electronic forms to digitize the process. With e-forms, providers can update patient records more conveniently anytime, anywhere by eliminating the need to manually input information. Digitizing documents also enables practices to more easily share information with other practices, regulators and patients – setting them up for success to meet evolving regulatory requirements like 21st Century Cures.
Axe the Fax for Improved Data Sharing Between Providers
Healthcare providers and staff have reported spending upwards of 55 hours and about $155 in supplies each month on manual paper faxing. In addition to costs and lack of productivity, outdated fax machines have created bottlenecks in data sharing both internally and externally.
Providers can axe the fax to improve communications between a patient’s care team, reduce unnecessary cost and increase efficiency among healthcare staff. Electronic faxing allows providers to edit and securely share data online between multi-location practices or with providers who travel between sites.
Virtual Care for Strong Patient Engagement
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.
