The healthcare industry is one that can benefit greatly from managed print services. Despite great investments in electronic health records over the past several years, bulks of paper are still a reality for many healthcare organizations, between administrative paperwork, prescriptions, test results, patient notes, bills, and receipts.
Not only does this abundance of paper take up precious space, it also comes at a cost to patients by putting their protected health information at risk and potentially compromising their care. Not to mention the clinicians’ time and money getting eaten up.
Although under the Health Information Technology For Economical and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, healthcare organizations are required to adopt electronic health records, related regulations, such as the Affordable Care Act and the transition to ICD-10 has actually increased healthcare organizations’ printing by an average of 11%.
Managed print services could provide a solution to this issue. By investing in managed print services, healthcare organizations can improve their finances and security and enhance their operational effectiveness, ultimately contributing to more positive patient outcomes.
Below is a list of best practices for managed print services in the healthcare industry:
- Printing Assessment. Healthcare organizations should examine their needs, spending, consumption, and physical footprint. Calculate the total cost of printing (including consumables and maintenance), and compare it to the cost of optimized operations through managed print services.
- Redesign Printing Infrastructure. As discussed earlier, healthcare documents are sensitive in nature. Therefore, paperwork should not be sitting in printer trays for extended period of time or be otherwise out in the open. Redesigning the printing infrastructure around workflow would not only increase efficiency, but also would improve security and regulatory compliance. This new and improved infrastructure should route commands from the device to the nearest, most appropriate printer.
- Reporting and Evaluation. Reporting should include insights on maintenance, use, supply consumption, and cost. Organizations should be able to demonstrate improved outcomes and reduced costs.
Investing in managed print services improves operational efficiency and enhances security and regulatory compliance in healthcare organizations, ultimately contributing to better patient outcomes.
If your healthcare organization is looking into managed print services in Florida, contact QualPath today.
Source: Samsung Business. 5 Best Practices for Managed Print Services in Healthcare.