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Many policy management solutions let you store, organize, create, disseminate, and track policies. But very few create a living connection between your policies, accreditation, and training. What do we mean by living connection?

PowerDMS is an ecosystem where policy, training, and accreditation all connect and inform one another. It gives you control over a single, living version of each of your policies with useful data like signature tracking, version history, and more included. It treats each policy as a living document, able to adapt to a changing landscape and unexpected threats.

It’s true, you get what you pay for. While some of our competitors outsource development and/or customer support to other countries, PowerDMS has a U.S. based customer success team and a 97% customer satisfaction rating. Unlike many other solutions, we are subject matter experts in accreditation and can help you prepare for surveys in a timely manner.

Some of our competitors include Sharepoint, PolicyTech, PolicyMedical, PolicyStat, and MCN Healthcare. If you’d like to learn how PowerDMS stacks up against some of them, read our Buyer’s Guide to the Top 7 Policy Management Tools.

Customer Testimonial

Learn why Sean Lovejoy, Quality Assurance Manager with Memphis Police Communications, chose PowerDMS over other industry competitors.

We publish state, national, and international standards. With our Standards as a Professional Service, you can add nearly any standards manual to PowerDMS and unlock the full functionality of our accreditation management solution. To see the full list of standards we publish, visit our standards manual page or check out the healthcare-related standards below:

• Healthcare: TJC, AAAHC, CIHQ, NELAC, NCCHC
• ISO: ISO 17025, ISO 15189, ISO 9000, ISO 9001, ISO 9004, ISO 17020, ISO 17021-1, ISO 17043, ISO 27001, ISO 27002, ISO 14001, ISO 13485, ISO 22000, ISO 45001, ISO 17011

Standards as a Professional Service

With our Standards as a Professional Service, you can add virtually any standards manual to PowerDMS. How does it work? Simply confirm that you can use the proprietary content and we will upload your standards manual to PowerDMS.

As a Professional Service member, you also get access to all published standards manuals that have been added by the PowerDMS community of customers. Interested in learning more about this service? Contact our sales team today.

PowerDMS maps your policies/compliance documents to accreditation or compliance standards. So when your documents or standards are updated, you automatically get alerted about the changes, along with a visual comparison so you can easily identify every change.

Each document that has been mapped to a standard will also include a reference of every related standard, giving administrators the power to see each related standard and its language prior to updating the document.

With this tool, you can feel confident that your documents are always in compliance. Here are some additional features to help you prepare for surveys:

• Store and manage your compliance documents and manuals digitally
• Electronically attach policies and proofs of compliance to standards
• Set statuses and run reports to identify gaps in your compliance
• Receive alerts when standards are impacted by a revised document
• Easily review and compare revisions with automatic highlighting
• Schedule one time or recurring compliance tasks for any standard
• Give assessors access to your proofs of compliance prior to an onsite visit
• Conduct mock surveys and remote surveys

PowerDMS currently integrates with the Microsoft Office and Adobe Suite of tools. Many integrations are coming soon, including Google Drive, Lexipol, Guardian Tracking, Envisage Technologies, Agency360, LEFTA Systems, and more.

We’re working towards an open API (currently in beta) that will allow customers to integrate with any system they want for a nominal fee, depending on usage. Although integration with any system will be possible upon release, your organization would be responsible for the connection.

Can PowerDMS integrate with our current training system?

Not yet. When we launch our open API (currently in beta), you’ll be able to integrate with almost any system you want. Until then, you can build courses within our training module or link to external training courses from PowerDMS.

You can also create custom tests to verify that employees have read/watched and understood the training material. Staff will have to pass the test in order for their signature to register on the document. As the administrator, you can set the pass/fail percentage and allow for limited or unlimited test retakes. The pending document will sit in their to-do list and send auto-reminders until they have passed and signed it.

Yes. We’re here to save you time and frustration. Our software integrates with Microsoft Office, Office 365, One Drive, and Google Drive (coming soon). So when you need to edit a document in PowerDMS, you can edit within these apps. When you click save within an app, the changes are also saved in PowerDMS.

Our software comes with a version comparison feature as well, so you can compare old and new drafts side-by-side with all changes automatically highlighted for your convenience. This feature simplifies the editing process for all stakeholders in a workflow. Watch a short video about it.

PowerDMS workflows lets you collaborate with stakeholders across your organization, determine roles/access, and create workflow templates for future use. If multiple people need to review a document, it automatically notifies assigned stakeholders when it’s their turn, saving you the trouble of manually coordinating hand-offs and multiple files.

PowerDMS supports a wide range of content and the most common file types (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, videos, audio, etc.). Beyond policies and procedures, PowerDMS supports contracts, checklists, maps, floor plans, emergency plans, spreadsheets, memos, certifications, training records, evaluations, surveys, training videos, and more.

An integration with Google Drive is coming soon, which will let you upload from and edit documents within the Google Drive Suite (Docs, Sheets, etc.).

We can support the vast majority of your content needs, but if you don’t see what you need listed here, feel free to Book a no-obligation meeting with one of our friendly sales team members to learn more.

Customer Testimonial

Learn what type of content Sean Lovejoy, Quality Assurance Manager with Memphis Police Communications, stores and manages in PowerDMS.

Yes. With PowerDMS, you can schedule recurring reminders to renew certifications and licenses. Administrators can report on renewals that are upcoming, overdue, or completed, and they can pull specific reports based on category and training hours. With this functionality, you can help your staff acquire and maintain licensure and certification.

Yes. It’s easy to stay organized with a single, published version of each policy. When it’s time to update a document, all reviewers access a single draft. Once the draft is approved and published, the previous version is automatically archived so you can reference it for future use if necessary. All documents, archived or active, include revision history and data on read receipts, signatures, and related training.

With PowerDMS, you can feel confident that a single, published version of each of your policies exists. We understand the importance of this for healthcare organizations, as the lack of version control can expose your employees and organization to risk. At the end of the day, this feature protects you from liability and keeps your staff prepared for surprise surveys.

Yes. PowerDMS lets your staff send training requests for any external training. Requests include dates, times, and related costs, as well as the ability to attach proof of completed training. With this feature, your staff can stay at the forefront of the industry by getting approval to attend conferences, trade shows, seminars, and more.

Yes. The PowerDMS mobile app, available on Android and IOS, gives you 24/7 access to crucial content, powerful search, document security, policy attestation, real-time push notifications, and document administration functionality.

The cost of policy management software can depend on many variables:

• Base cost of the software
• Number of licenses/users
• Contract length (1–3 years)
• Price of add-ons

For example, the software you receive at a base cost may not include needed functionality like mapping policies to surveys, so purchasing an add-on could be necessary.

Depending on these variables, your policy software could cost anywhere between $4,000 and $100,000+ annually. Yes, this is a wide range. It may feel of little use right now, but as you assess your own needs and research solutions, your estimated cost will narrow.

Very few solutions provide pricing upfront. With so many variables affecting cost, an introductory appointment is usually required to give an accurate quote. But there are some easy assumptions to make starting out.

For small organizations with 20 users, the cost would be on the lower end of the spectrum. For larger organizations with 1,000–1,500+ users, it would be on the higher end. Although a large organization will pay substantially more than a small organization, its ROI will also increase proportionally.

Even more important than cost is your return. Each solution delivers a different ROI. To better understand a solution’s ROI for your organization and if it aligns with your policy needs, we recommend auditing your policy process, creating a list of non-negotiables, and developing a list of questions.

Many solutions promote the same or similar features, but in practice, the functionality can vary widely. Choosing the wrong software can be expensive, and you won’t realize its limited capabilities for 3+ months, after sinking valuable time and energy into onboarding. Accordingly, the best ROI starts with thorough research.

Policy Process Audit

It may sound obvious, but the process starts with better understanding your own needs. Without this knowledge, you can’t accurately determine the ROI of a product. Consider asking yourself the following questions to start auditing your current policy process:

• What type of policy and/or accreditation management system are you currently using (paper, digital, mixed) and what are its shortcomings?
• Are your policy and accreditation processes optimized and automated, or has your organization adapted to less efficient workarounds?
• Are you able to manage a document across its entire lifecycle?
• Do you have a single source of truth for all your policies?
• How many hours does it take to prepare for an assessment?
• How does your organization review content and who needs to review it? Do these reviewers/approvers have easy access to the right document? Is there a structured method for collaborating on updates?
• Have you stored, and can you easily access, historical data and documents?
• Do you have a method for ensuring that all employees, organization wide, are referencing a single correct version of any given document?
• How do you currently conduct training (in person, digital)? How expensive is it? How long does it take?
• How easy/hard is it getting employees to show up, in person, on a quarterly/annual basis for training?

The end goal is to identify all gaps and risks in your current process, and that’s not possible to accomplish in a silo. It takes a team. Who are the key policy stakeholders in your organization? As you form your team, consider including an IT Representative, Content Manager, Training Manager, and Accreditation Manager.

List of Non-negotiables

After completing your policy audit, you will better understand your organization’s needs. Now it’s time to create a list of non-negotiables. Here are 15 common criteria that may or may not be non-negotiables for your organization:

• Cost-effective: delivers a quick return on your investment
• Central storage: a single source of truth for all your policies
• Easy to use: an intuitive UI that a variety of users can easily use
• Customer support: access to a friendly, knowledgeable support team 24/7
• Training: quality resources and support for onboarding and maintenance
• Access control: powerful search and control over user permissions
• Acknowledgement: tracking who has received and signed policies
• Testing: customizable tests to verify employee comprehension
• Workflows: advanced workflows to collaborate across your organization
• Smart editing: side-by-side comparison with policy changes highlighted
• Version control: a single version of each policy and archiving functionality
• Tracking: the ability to track policies across their entire lifecycle
• Security: protection from internal and external security threats
• Mobile: ability to access and interact with policies from any device
• Integration: intuitive integration with your favorite programs

Asking the Right Questions

As you create your list of non-negotiables, add to and refine the list of questions below. Between the two lists (questions and non-negotiables), you will be better equipped to assess whether or not a solution’s functionality aligns with your organization’s needs.

General

• How do your features (policy, training, accreditation) interact and inform one another?
• Do you provide content, or will I need to provide my own?
• Do you have a mobile app and what functionality does it provide?
• What level of reporting does your software provide?

Policy

• How can your software help me keep employees accountable/compliant?
• Does your software have a version control feature?
• Can I create and standardize advanced workflows with multiple reviewers/approvers?
• What tools/systems can your software integrate with?

Accreditation

• What features does your software offer to help me simplify and maintain accreditation?
• Do you provide standards?
• Do you offer mock assessments?
• Will I be able to link training to standards?

Training

• Can I deliver training digitally and track employee progress?
• Can I create and issue custom tests?
• Will I be able to create custom certificates to reward employees?
• Will I be able to issue and track internal surveys?

PowerDMS is sold at a base cost and from there priced on a per-user, per-year basis. Your annual cost will be determined by the number of users and, therefore, licenses you purchase, as well as the add-ons procured for your organization’s specific needs.

These two variables (number of users and feature add-ons) affect the cost of PowerDMS, so pricing can vary widely between industries and organizations. To provide an accurate quote, we would need to learn more about your organizational needs over a call.

While PowerDMS is the same price for all organizations, regardless of size, there are some advantages to buying more licenses. The price per license decreases at certain tiers as you add more users. So if your sub department uses PowerDMS, for example, other sub departments within your organization could start using the platform simply by purchasing more licenses.

Book a no-obligation meeting today with one of our friendly sales team members to learn more.

There are many funding opportunities for public sector organizations interested in purchasing new training and technology tools like PowerDMS. You may be able to receive funding/discounts through statewide accreditations, risk pools, or grants.

Statewide Accreditations: If your organization is accredited, insurance companies may provide discounts on your insurance policy. We recommend checking with your insurance provider to see if this is possible.

Risk Pools: If you’re in a risk pool, funds may be allocated for new training and technology tools that mitigate risk. We recommend checking with your risk pool to see if mitigating risk through PowerDMS qualifies your organization for funding.

Grants: Federal, state, or local grants could be available for your organization, but you have to find them, determine eligibility, and apply. As the organization seeking funding, you will be responsible for identifying the problem, validating it with data, proposing a solution, and justifying the request with data.

ROI will depend on your industry and organization. How long do your current policy, training, and accreditation processes take? Are they optimized and automated, or has your organization adapted to workarounds? With PowerDMS, you can expect to save 2x–4x the amount of time and money you’d typically spend on these processes. Our customers save an average of $10,000 on paper and printing costs alone. To calculate your estimated ROI with PowerDMS, use our ROI calculator tool today.

There’s also an intangible ROI, or VOI (value on investment), realized from PowerDMS in the form of accountability, trust, and risk mitigation. For example, mitigating the risk of lawsuits, fines, and brand disrepute makes a huge impact but can be hard to quantify. Policies, procedures, and training also impact organizational culture and increase employee accountability. All of this, when done well and with transparency, builds trust in your community.

To improve transparency and trust at your organization, learn more about our public-facing docs feature, which lets you share important information with your community.

Onboarding is a coordinated process between your implementation team and PowerDMS, specifically your Customer Success Advisor (CSA) and Onboarding Specialist.

We encourage you to create an implementation team, who will be responsible for onboarding your organization. They will complete necessary coursework in PowerDMS University and attend weekly implementation meetings with your PowerDMS Onboarding Specialist.

Your implementation team may include an IT Representative, Content Manager, Training Manager, and Accreditation manager. The need for these roles is dependent on the size of your organization and the PowerDMS products you purchase.

The Onboarding Process

The onboarding process starts with an introductory call. On this call we’ll discuss your organizational needs and who should attend the kickoff meeting.

• Intro call
• Kickoff meeting
• Consultation meetings

Your Customer Success Advisor (CSA)

To date, you’ve been in touch with a Regional Sales Manager. But now you’ll get to meet your CSA, who will become your long term PowerDMS contact after onboarding. They will help you with continued growth and use of the platform, any escalations needed, and be your general liaison for PowerDMS.

Your Onboarding Specialist

For the remainder of the onboarding process, you will be paired with an Onboarding Specialist. The Onboarding Specialist will consult and guide you through implementation. They will coordinate your document upload and user import, guide you to the appropriate PowerDMS University courses, and offer consultation. Once onboarding has been completed, your Onboarding Specialist will turn you back over to your CSA.

After the kickoff meeting, you and your Onboarding Specialist will have multiple consultations on the following topics (this and more will be covered on your 1-hour kickoff call):

• PowerDMS University
  • Complete your assigned training track
  • List and ask questions
• Content Upload
  • Determine folder structure
  • Choose tags and naming conventions
  • Upload Documents
  • Create Workflows
• User Import
  • Review preliminary documentation
  • Schedule a consultation
  • Sync your Active Directory
  • Enable SSO
• Security Configuration
• Onsite Training
• Launch Preparation

Continued Support

Even when onboarding is over, we will support you every step of the way. Here are several of our support resources:

• PowerDMS University offers self-paced courses and bootcamps (instructor-led lessons)
• Success Community is a knowledge base replete with articles, videos, Q&A, and customer discussion forums
• Your Customer Success Advisor serves as your general liaison with PowerDMS, helps with continued growth and use of the platform, and handles any escalations needed
• Service Desk helps with continued maintenance and troubleshooting any issues you’re having with the platform
• PowerDMS Certification lets you go above and beyond to become an expert PowerDMS user

PowerDMS has an organization-wide governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) program that identifies, assesses, mitigates, and monitors risks to our customer’s data and the infrastructure supporting our services. Here are some of our security mechanisms:

• Monthly network and system vulnerability scans and a corresponding security patching program
• Biweekly dynamic and static code analysis scans
• Annual third party penetration tests
• At-rest and in-transit encryption
• Production code library file integrity monitoring
• Perimeter firewalls and intrusion detection systems
• Security logging implemented at every level of infrastructure
• Centralized logging and monitoring application that alerts employees when security events are detected
• Enforced two factor authentication process for any employee accessing production infrastructure

PowerDMS also maintains SOC 2, CJIS, and HIPAA compliance. Reports may be available upon request. Please see our SOC 2 Type 2 summary report for a full list of implemented and assessed security mechanisms.

Is my data backed up offsite?

The PowerDMS infrastructure is load balanced across three AWS GovCloud data centers, which are designed to anticipate and tolerate failure while maintaining service levels. In case of failure, automated processes move traffic away from the affected area. Core applications are deployed to an N+1 standard, so in the event of a data center failure, there is sufficient capacity to load-balance traffic to the remaining sites. In addition, PowerDMS includes a feature that lets your site administrators extract your data from the application directly.

Is my data protected in case of a disaster occurring at a data center?

Yes. We maintain data in geographically dispersed data centers with disaster-recovery systems in place. This guarantees both data integrity and data availability in the event of any data center-wide outage. Should such an event occur, failover to data recovery systems will happen to minimize any interruption in service.

Is my data encrypted securely?

Yes. All of our customer data is encrypted in transit and at rest. We ensure a minimum AES-256bit level encryption (FIPS140-2 certified), and at no time is any customer data left in an unencrypted state, including data that has been backed-up.

How does PowerDMS keep up with the latest security threats?

We deploy industry-leading technology including IDS, IPS, Log Monitoring, and WAF, and we partner with security experts to ensure the highest level of security. We also monitor and apply necessary patches and updates to ensure our environments are secure from any exploits or attacks, following a strict patch management life cycle, which includes assessment and testing prior to applying patches. In addition to monitoring, blocking, and patching, we perform regular third-party audits and tests of all layers of our application.

How is security managed and maintained within the PowerDMS application?

The security measures listed above are directed, managed, and monitored by a governance, risk, and compliance (GRC) committee that meets quarterly to discuss upcoming security projects, review security alerts and events, and drive risk mitigation. Members of the GRC committee include our CTO, Director of Software Engineering, IT Director, Legal Counsel, DevOps Lead, and Security Officer.

Is PowerDMS’ security infrastructure assessed against industry standards?

Yes. We have been assessed by a validated third party against the following standards:

• SOC 2 Type 2
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
• Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Security Policy

Where does PowerDMS store and process customer data?

The PowerDMS production network and system components are managed in AWS GovCloud data centers, designed to anticipate and tolerate failure while maintaining service levels. All customer data is fully encrypted in transit and at rest. Through third-party testing of AWS GovCloud data centers, we make sure they have appropriately implemented the measures needed to obtain security certifications that support controls around security, redundancy, and all critical support elements.