Paperless doctors' practices are a reality
If you store physical patient files, they are often misfiled, meaning documents vanish and cannot be found again even with an extensive search. This is problematic, particularly when there is a legal requirement to show patients information before an operation, and in case of a patient complaint it can mean extremely high consequent costs due to demands for damages.
Solution scenario of a radiotherapy practice in Singen
The doctors who founded the practice in 2007 have worked towards a paperless practice from the start. A typical BPM solution was selected to control all the procedures in radiotherapy regarding scheduling, legally sufficient archiving and control of radiotherapy treatments. It is used to manage and archive all patients electronically. For a high level of legal certainty and in order to be able to prove the authenticity of documents, the practice uses a solution with electronic signatures and the PDF/A long-term archiving format.
The practice uses pre-configured templates to show information to patients, and these are shown in the Sign Live! application in PDF format. The attending doctor fills these out on convenient Wacom tablet PC's with a special pen and saves them. Sign Live! does not just make it possible to fill out specified fields, but also to add hand-written comments, markings or highlights. The form contains obligatory and optional fields, and plausibility checks are also built in. Sections covering information for patients and consent are an integral part of the questionnaire. The patient confirms his/her approval for treatment with his/her own hand-written signature directly on the screen. The doctor then signs the entire procedure with the qualified electronic signature of his/her personal signature card. As an additional small intermediate step, the signature process only lasts a brief moment, but it has an enormous influence on compliance.
The basic BPM application and CABAReT, together with Sign Live! and PDF/A Live!, ensure the best possible transparency and legal assurance in the radiotherapy practice.
Secure online communication in the network of doctors
Paperless, legally binding communication from doctor to doctor, both in the hospital and also in the settled area is no longer just a vision, but an absolute promise. From now on administration can be more effectively organised and more time is left for the patients.
This is based on the intarsys signature software Sign Live!, intelligent PDF forms based on CABAReT Stage and an electronic workflow manager. This means almost all labour-intensive management processes in the clinical environment and in the established doctors practices can be carried out in electronic form.
- Inbox management
The paper inbox is digitised and electronically signed centrally or by department in a working process. The original paper documents can then be shredded. The use of qualified electronic signatures (QES) guarantees the highest level of security against unnoticed manipulation and gives the scan files the maximum probative value. After the scanning and signature process the digital documents can be taken over by an electronic workflow and automatically forwarded to the downstream locations for processing. When planning a workflow there is basically no difference between distribution of business documents, such as incoming invoices, or medical documents, such as patient admissions. - Form management
All conventional forms are digitised 1:1 as PDF forms and immediately updated if required. The PDF form is filled out directly on the desktop. Plausibility tests within the PDF prevent gross errors in inputs. The signature, which is normally given by hand on paper, is replaced by an electronic pendant. The Sign Live! signature software accepts the signature given on a digital writing tablet and inserts this directly into the electronic PDF form. The eForm that has been filled out and signed in this way can be directed to the locations for further processing through an electronic workflow and filed in parallel in the electronic archive. There is the option of giving patients a paper printout. - Appraisal
Doctors and care staff write reports, appraisals, prescriptions etc. at their workplace. These are signed directly at the PC with a legally binding electronic signature (signed). A paper printout for signing is no longer necessary. The workflow manager sends the document over a protected connection to the recipient or recipients, who can view the document or process it further. At the end of the process, the document is automatically electronically archived and it can be called up at any time and from any location by the original author and all parties involved. Patients have the option of copying their documents automatically into a personal archive.
The demands on the technical infrastructure are low; all that is required is a computer with broadband internet access. Local installation is limited to a card reader for the signature equipment and signature software. There are considerable advantages for everyone involved. Information is transferred in almost real time, and with strong data protection. Costs for paper, printers, postage and storage are eliminated, as is the handling of paper documents. It is also very quick and easy to search for documents, even after years, by entering a small amount of data.
