When dealing with personally identifiable information (PII) and private health information (PHI) for your patients, it is critical to ensure that everything is up-to-date and secure in order for patients to receive the best care available. Though, as so many providers, healthcare staff, and health information managers (HIMs) know, the sheer amount of documents and forms used on a daily basis can be a challenge to manage. Ensuring that the constant necessary changes to documents remain compliant can often take valuable time away from interacting with patients. In order to elevate your patient care, you need to keep an organized system for documents and forms. One clear solution to managing document updates and changes is document version control software.
Document version control manages all versions of a document and ensures that the most recent version is being used. Additionally, older versions are archived in a way that allows them to be easily viewed or even restored if needed. In healthcare, this is particularly important because previous versions may have critical information that needs to be referenced. Document version control also allows providers and staff to work with the most accurate version of a document across multiple devices. Using document version control software provides several key benefits for healthcare providers, HIMs, and staff.
Preventing data loss is critical, especially when there are numerous versions of a particular document. Using document version control, if a document is accidentally deleted or corrupted, you are able to revert to a previous version. Additionally, you can revert to a previous version if you're not satisfied with the changes you've made to a document. This prevents data loss from occurring because you are able to return to a previous version as needed without the fear of losing information. Whether due to an error, downtime in the system, or a necessary change, you will always have the ability to return to older documents.
RELATED: HOW TO MITIGATE HUMAN ERROR IN HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS
In certain circumstances, there needs to be accountability for changes made, or there may be questions regarding a specific update. If you need to know who made what changes to a document or when those changes were made, version control for documents can provide that information. Version control software tracks all changes made to a document, so you can always revert to a previous version if something goes wrong. It also logs who made the changes within each new version. When you're working with important documents, it's worth using document version control software to protect your data and improve your workflow. Version control software can also help you protect these documents and forms from unauthorized access and changes.
With document version control software, there is an increase in productivity. Multiple people can work on the same document at the same time without overwriting each other's changes. When choosing a document version control software program, you'll need to consider factors such as the size and complexity of your documents, the number of people who will be using the software, and your budget. Version control software makes it easy for staff and providers to work on a document without having to wait for another person to be done. Version control software can help you save time by making it easier to find and restore previous versions of documents.
Our document management system offers version control that will keep you on track every day. Using DigiDoc as your DMS can help minimize oversight and reinforce consistency within your healthcare system. With DigiDoc, you can rest assured that your documents and forms will be organized and accessible so that you can focus on taking care of your patients.