Why real-time physician signatures are a win-win

Why real-time physician signatures are a win-win

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By: Chris Pugliese, Senior Product Manager, CitusHealth

To say physicians who work with home-based care providers are busy is an understatement. They often serve multiple providers with clinical oversight over hundreds of patients, but without that patient sitting in front them in an observation—this is all in addition to their normal case load of in-person patients. To make it even more challenging, many also work in multiple offices, each with different support staff and sometimes completely different organizations. This nomadic schedule can make it challenging for organizations to procure signatures that are needed to continue care.

One of the most common problems that organizations face when requesting signatures electronically is lack of adoption by physicians. If each organization has their own portal, that means physicians are having to log into separate portals and websites to submit signatures. And when physicians fail to onboard with your portal—instead, likely forcing you to rely on fax—your documents may not get signed in time, you may not be able to maintain compliance, and patient care could get delayed.

By connecting with physicians within their own system or in an easy way that doesn’t disrupt their day, organizations can:

  • Simplify the delivery of forms and documentation to physicians
  • Obtain electronic signatures in real time
  • Turn around the delivery of patient care faster
  • Ensure compliance
  • Improve referral relationships

Out-of-hospital care physicians’ schedules are demanding, which is why simplifying their processes will likely increase turnaround time—and increase their favorability for working with your organization. It’s a clear win.

74% of referral sources would switch to a post-acute care provider if they are able to interoperate with them more effectively. (Porter Research)

 

The advantage of requesting signatures from your home-based care system

By letting technology empower the documentation process, organizations can experience significant benefits that save time and reduce administrative burden. One of these benefits is the ability to draft documentation and send signature requests—all from the same platform. Physicians won’t be required to sign into the platform to provide the signature, but everything securely integrates back into the home system to simplify the continuum of care and help maintain compliance.

Embedding the capability for real-time signatures into the home system is a win for workforce management. It allows organizations to operate faster and more efficiently—no more waiting on faxes, no more time wasted tracking down physicians, no more billing delays. Just a better operating organization working with more satisfied referring physicians. It’s a clear win-win.

Finding more efficient processes for working with physicians could be a game changer. Schedule a demo today to experience how CitusHealth can help you reap the benefits of real-time physician signatures.

Chris Pugliese
Chris Pugliese
Senior Product Manager, CitusHealth

Having spent the last decade working with post-acute technology and EMRs, and the last five years focused on interoperability, Chris’ strength is enabling technology. His passion is also educating on the growing importance of interoperability and its benefits to the post-acute care settings. With CitusHealth, he’s become an interoperability leader, spearheading integration and interop initiatives both internally and externally.

Chris’ industry committee roles and responsibilities include: Leadership Team Member for the Post-Acute Interoperability Work Group (PACIO), technical lead for the Functional Status Subgroup for the PACIO initiative, CommonWell Health Alliance Use Case Committee member, and CommonWell Health Alliance Specification Workgroup member.