Lack of version control
Many healthcare organizations still use paper to manage policies and compliance. Not only are paper-based processes time-consuming, they can lead to version control issues and important updates slipping through the cracks.
The Policy solution by PowerDMS creates a single source of truth for all your policies, procedures, and other job-critical documents. It lets you draft policies and then track all actions on them using policy review and approval workflows. These automated processes save time and ensure version control across every policy’s lifecycle.
Employees cannot easily find applicable policies
Another problem with paper policies? They aren’t keyword searchable or accessible 24/7. Without easy access to mission-critical documents, employees carry around large binders which must be manually updated on a regular basis.
In contrast, content stored in our Policy platform is indexed for full-text search, so results are returned for any match within the document, including attachments, metadata, and tags. This helps staff find what they need, when they need it, on any device. Policy also includes the following functionality to make it even easier to access content:
- Intuitive Google-style keyword search
- Structured folders and sub-folders
- Tagging and bookmark functionality
Difficulty reporting on policy signature compliance
With a paper-based system, it can take days to confirm whether all employees have received and signed an updated policy. The Policy solution allows users to sign policies electronically, and it allows managers to run reports in seconds to see who signed for policies and procedures. It also sends automatic reminders for staff to sign policies, so you don’t have to send a hundred emails.
Risk of liability
Without the ability to track proofs of compliance (i.e. regular policy reviews and policy updates), it’s challenging to protect your organization against liability. Failure to track employee policy signatures could strengthen wrongful termination claims.
The Policy solution lets you prove that employees signed policies in the event of a wrongful termination claim, administrative investigation, or patient lawsuit. Managers and administrators can easily run reports and provide proof of policy compliance to internal and external stakeholders.
With the Standards solution, our software also helps you maintain compliance by linking policies and proofs to your audit with real-time notifications if something changes.
Next steps
The Policy solution by PowerDMS makes it easy to manage your entire policy lifecycle process, from development to distribution. Fill out the quick form below to schedule a free consultation, and learn how PowerDMS can save you time and resources, so you can focus on what matters most – saving lives.