In order to have an effective workplace and confident staff, it’s critical to stay on top of employee certifications. That’s easier said than done, however - as employees come and go, technology evolves, and new certifications are introduced, it can be quite the task keeping up with it all. That’s why you must implement certain processes and take steps to keep it all organized. Here are our top tips for maintaining and tracking certifications in your workplace.
Healthcare information management is an enormous job, and one that requires thoughtful organization and strategy. In order to keep your employees up-to-date with the latest and most important certifications, we recommend taking the following steps.
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Does your organization require AHIMA certifications? What about HIMSS certifications? Make a power list of all of the certifications that you require employees to get and maintain, and be sure to communicate that list to both current and incoming employees regularly. With clear communication, everyone will be on the same page about what’s expected of them and employees will be more mindful of renewing their certificates when necessary.
Which certifications are mandatory at your organization? Keeping track of all of them can be daunting, so it helps to break them into mandatory and non-mandatory categories. You can even rank them based on importance. This will help employees focus on obtaining and maintaining the most important ones; plus, giving them the option to skip non-mandatory certifications could save them significant time.
Keep a detailed record of items like AHIMA certifications, CPHIMS certifications, HIMSS certifications, etc. for employees in your organization. It’s critical to make note of when employees are due for new certifications and when they need to renew existing ones - they may not remember, so keeping a detailed record will help ensure that everyone stays up to date.
Make your life easy - set reminders for when it’s time to renew certificates. Having expiration dates for employee certifications on your calendar will ensure a seamless process when it’s time for them to renew. It’s also helpful to routinely block out time to review certifications with employees and remind them that they should be prepared to renew certificates soon.
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Remember that it’s not all on you. Having a process in place can ensure your organization runs as smoothly as possible when it comes to certification renewal, but the employees should be active participants in the process. Meet regularly to discuss existing and new certifications and hold employees accountable. Employees should respond to recertification reminders and keep documentation of their own certifications.
Technology is constantly evolving and in turn, so are certifications. Keep your eyes and ears open for new certifications and programs, and talk to employees regularly to see if they have any new certification ideas to share.
Time management can be a challenge when your days are booked solid ensuring patient data is protected and they are being taken care of. Once your employees have all of their health information certifications up-to-date and on track, it could be the right time to organize and streamline other parts of your healthcare system including document management. Our document management software can help your organization save time and use it where it matters most on a positive patient experience.