Article written by Stephanie Onofri
Let’s play the game “what doesn’t belong.” Are you ready? Your options are:
So which one doesn’t quite fit? I’ll give you a hint: some of these are acronyms that have been flying around the healthcare conversation lately, and one of these is the software solution that has been bridging the gap between those acronyms and your medical facility’s electronic medical record system. If you guessed ECM, then you’re right! You might be familiar with Electronic Medical Records, Electronic Health Records, and Accountable Care organizations, but ECM or Enterprise Content Management comes up much more sporadically. And I lied: it actually does belong.
ECM is a highly scalable records management solution that helps nearly every department in medical facilities (ranging from hospitals, long-term care organizations, behavioral health, etc) run more efficiently and effectively by automating business processes and managing medical documentation. Because it is highly customizable, health organizations have implemented it in departments such as contract management, Accounts payable, credentialing, and human resources, providing a centralized location for all document processes.
HOW IT WORKS:
From the initial data entry to eventual storage and archiving, ECM cuts cost and time off electronic health record management by streamlining every step of the paper process, without needing to store or manage actual paper, implementing a variety of security measures to control who has access to particular documentation at any point in the process and ensuring the accuracy of medical records across the board. And it accomplishes this through:
- Document Classification: after you upload documents it classifies them by placing them in the particular areas of the organization where the appropriate parties can easily access them, reducing the number of misplaced documents and delays in trying to get the right information to the right department.
- Analysis Workflow: automatically routes paper or electronic charts to analysts within the department who can apply deficiencies to charts that aren’t complete. No longer will incomplete charts be floating around the organization, supplying inadequate information.
- Release of Information: collect patient information specific to an account in order to compile the necessary information for release. It can also reach out to other information systems to find missing information and complete the full medical record. This reduces the time it takes to acquire the information, complete the release and send the release to the appropriate group.
