How Mobile eSignatures for Healthcare Help Deliver Digital Completion

The healthcare industry worldwide is known to be highly document-intensive. Multiple forms and documents are required to be filled and signed by patients during different steps of their healthcare journey. Traditionally, wet signatures used to be a common norm, and patients had to complete the tedious paperwork formalities using pen and paper, as there were no other friendlier alternatives. The healthcare staff too used to be mostly drowned in sorting out documents, which took them farther away from the primary objective of imparting good patient care.

However, fortunately, we are now in the midst of a digital era, where these manual consent gathering processes are gradually becoming a thing of the past. The new-age eSignature technology allows patients to digitally fill and sign documents at their convenience, even from their mobile devices. This is a boon for both, patients and providers, as it offers them both ample convenience and strengthens the efficiency of processes.

Challenge: Siloed and Legacy Systems

Although many healthcare institutions have now upped their game and are beginning to digitize some of their processes, the overall experience still remains disjointed and patchy. This is because these processes are mostly operating in silos and are unable to communicate with one another. As a result, while patients do fill in some of the documents digitally, they are still required to switch to manual methods at some point. Clearly, with these siloed processes, the need for paper-based intervention is not entirely eliminated.

Moreover, many care providers still rely on legacy systems to gather information and consent from patients. Multiple forms are still being emailed to patients in PDF formats, which are required to be downloaded, filled, esigned and finally emailed back. Most of these PDF forms are lengthy and complex, and patients tend to send them back incorrectly filled or incomplete. This, in turn, puts extra pressure on the healthcare staff, who has to dedicate extra hours to ensure that the documents are in order.

Thus, all these processes can be deemed as confusing and outdated, as they fail to serve the key purpose – streamlining the patient experience. It is critical here to understand that today’s patients expect a yet more faster, simpler and painless experience, one that leads them to care as soon as possible. Therefore, the need of the hour is to not only digitize the manual, paper-based consent gathering processes, but to take it one step ahead and build end-to-end digitized patient experiences. This could be achieved by introducing a single, consolidated solution that completely puts an end to physical paperwork, while also allowing patients to complete the digital documentation journey quickly.

Digital Completion with Mobile eSignatures

Digital Completion refers to the automation of all paper-based tasks, from the beginning till the end, to simplify, streamline and fast-pace the patient journey. Here, it is not only the patient signatures that get digitized, but the entire patient experience. And, if all of this is brought together to the patient on their mobile phones, there is nothing more that one could ask for.

Needless to say, today’s consumer is highly glued to mobile devices for completing most of their tasks, be it online shopping, applying for a loan, viewing documents, etc. Esignature solutions that are mobile compatible allow patients to conveniently and quickly share consent with their medical providers in a highly flexible, secure and compliant way. Healthcare staff can simply share a link with the patients via SMS, which can be easily clicked to key in information and apply electronic signatures. Once the eSignatures are applied, the documents get automatically stored in the system of the healthcare provider. Patients need not sit in front of their computers and download multiple PDF forms or scan their physical signatures. Instead, they can easily sign documents from anywhere, at any time with their most cherished mobile devices. Medical staff can now efficiently handle all aspects of paperwork and get all critical patient documents signed without any delay.

Moreover, modern eSignature solutions can be effortlessly integrated into the existing workflows of any business. These solutions are also HIPAA compliant, as they safeguard the sensitive patient data using the best-known industry practices.

Thus, mobile eSignature solutions which are a part of the fully automated workflow, deliver unparalleled value to both, patients and healthcare providers. With digital completion leading to faster turnaround times, a win-win situation can be created and a stronger healthcare ecosystem can be built, one that imparts excellent patient care.