How to Implement a Successful Document Management System in Healthcare

Posted by Doing Better Business on Mar 27, 2023 8:00:00 AM

Having the right document management system in healthcare can make all the difference.

Difference for who? The staff who use it to work, the facility that needs it to run, and most importantly, the patients who benefit from the value it provides.

Document workflows are a constant in all types of facilities, but especially in busy organizations like hospitals, doctors offices, patient clinics, and other medical-focused organizations. Why not invest in a better way of managing document processes?

Finding the right document system through a managed services provider can put any healthcare provider in a better position to reach their goals – but what’s the strategy for finding the right system?

4 Steps to Establish a Document System in Healthcare

While medical facilities may all share a common goal of caring for the sick and providing healing, their methods to do so may be much different.

Add in the different sizes and specializations of these organizations, and it becomes clear that their document workflows may also be unique. However, the path to finding the optimal document management system in healthcare is very similar and usually contains the following steps.

1.    Assess the Organization’s Current Needs

While healthcare management personnel may look at their facility’s document processes and see a clear need for improvement, specificity is required to really get the best result.

What areas does the organization need to improve on in particular in order to be more efficient, support the team, and improve patient results? Some common goals for implementing healthcare technology systems to manage documents may include:

  • Compliance: Managing documents in a secure way in line with laws and regulations
  • Storage: Keeping detailed records for proper organization and consistent performance
  • Sharing: Facilitating the team environment that helps healthcare facilities thrive
  • Processing: Keeping documents moving through their appropriate workflows

These are just a few of the areas an organization may focus on. The right document system can help improve results in one or even all of these areas.

2.    Create Clear Goals and Benchmarks

Even if a healthcare organization’s needs are clear, these are not the same as goals. Goals require benchmarks and metrics to track – while needs can be specific in nature, goals are measurable and subject to accountability.

This is where an organization can truly see results. For example, if the aim is to improve compliance, what’s the specific goal? Maybe it’s to improve audit and inspection scores and gain better ratings.

What if the aim is to grow more efficient and processing documents? This could be done to improve productivity, saving the team a measurable amount of time so that they can then focus on other crucial tasks.

3.    Link Document Solutions to Patient Care

While a facility can use its document system to improve operations to help employees work more efficiently and empower the organization’s workflows, the focus in healthcare ultimately comes down to one crucial aim – patient care.

So how do document systems and the goals based around them fill these needs? Consider the following scenarios in the healthcare field:

  • With better document procedures, a hospital can speed up intake to treat patients faster
  • By automating processes, a small clinic can serve more patients without overloading the staff
  • A specialty facility can nail even the most complex compliance requirements with ease

Document systems create better conditions where patients can be treated faster, easier, and more effectively no matter the type of care they need.

4.    Call on a Healthcare Technology Specialist

Assessing needs, setting goals, and focusing on end results are all important aspects of implementing a new healthcare technology system. The only thing left to do is find the right partner.

Since healthcare is such a complex field where tight budgets, strict regulations, soaring demand, and zero margin for error all coincide, it’s critical to find managed services from the right source.

The right document management provider will cover both hardware and software, understanding how connected systems and convenient interfaces combine to support smooth workflows. They’ll also see the value in critical qualities like security and scalability, both of which matter more in healthcare than arguably any sector of the economy.

Most importantly, they’ll work closely with the organization to deliver customized results.

Get a High-Quality Healthcare Document Management System

Doing Better Business specializes in healthcare technology, including document management. We know what it means to make a system efficient for care providers and helpful to improve patient results.

Our setups are built around the specific needs of your facility. We can work with you to integrate with your existing setup, or overhaul it completely if you feel this would be the better option.

When you need a document management system in healthcare that delivers real results for the facility and those who depend on it, Doing Better Business is here for you – contact us today.

Topics: healthcare, office technology, print technology

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