How Digital Cloud Fax can Boost Interoperability in Healthcare?
As technology evolves over time, the healthcare industry has integrated systems that make sharing and accessing data easy. These systems are also designed to ensure the security and safety of sensitive data. The best part is that patients who want to access their medical information don’t need to drive to medical facilities to get their information. Instead, they can request medical providers to share information through Digital Cloud Fax Technology. Though the technology is relatively new, and many health experts and providers have yet to start using it, it’s likely to become the most important technology in the healthcare industry in the coming years. That’s because the new CMS laws indicate the importance of interoperability. Want to learn about how this technology boosts interoperability along with the new rules of CMS? If that’s the case, read on to learn more.
New Rule by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Though the coronavirus vaccine has helped control the spread of the virus across the globe, the pandemic has caused lasting ramifications for the healthcare industry. The pandemic has also increased the importance of collecting and sharing patient information. While doctors and specialists need healthcare information to provide patients with optimal care, insurance providers require information to make informed decisions. Besides that, clinics and hospitals need to maintain each patient’s vaccination and booster details to provide them to concerned authorities.
Sharing information in the right way is important to meet the requirements of the medical staff, facility, and patient. For this, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have proposed a rule that indicates the importance of streamlining the authorization process to decrease patient and provider burden and allow patients to access healthcare information through electronic means.
According to CMS, this rule is based on the CMS Interoperability and Patient Access final rule. These rules have created new requirements for state Medicaid and CHIP fee-for-service programs and Medicaid and CHIP managed care plans. This way, these departments will improve the electronic exchange of health industry data. CMS’s new laws and regulations also indicate how a patient will access their healthcare information and how to improve the electronic exchange of information among providers, payers, and patients.
These
policies can help the healthcare industry to reduce the burden on payers and
providers, while making it easier for patients to access their information. Not
only this, but CMS has ruled out some points to help facilities make informed
decisions in the future. CMS has also discussed reducing the use of facsimile
(fax) technology across the health ecosystem.
The Submission of a Formal Comment Letter
Although the CMS rules are designed to improve medical data sharing, CMS might fail to understand the digital fax system. By advising providers against using fax, the rules didn’t consider the safe and secure methods of digital fax systems. Therefore, the company operating eFax corporate addressed their concerns about the CMS suggestion to avoid using fax technology by submitting a formal comment letter. The letter explains the benefits of using Digital Cloud Fax Technology (DCFT) and indicates how it offers complete interoperability. The company also discussed who used DCFT to exchange order medications, exchange patient information, and receive test results from labs.
The letter shows that DCFT is a secure process that offers a safe method of sharing information. It is important to note that some major electronic faxing companies have been working to improve interoperability and encouraging medical facilities and experts to exchange healthcare data electronically.
Since the policy has changed and CMS promotes the use of advanced technology to access data and improve patients’ access to information, it’s advised to avoid using a paper-based fax machine. When more patients and healthcare providers lean towards the use of electronic media, use of traditional fax system will reduce. While the CMS’s suggestion to avoid using a fax machine is right, DCFT is a safe and secure method that doesn’t operate through standard methods of fax technology. It’s totally electronic and uses HIPAA-compliant Digital Cloud Fax APIs, which act as an integrated and interoperable solution for safe and secure exchange of documentation. Through this technology, patients can easily access data, while health providers keep information secure.
How Digital Cloud Fax Technology Boosts Interoperability in Healthcare
Here are a few ways that DCFT can boost interoperability in healthcare.
Centralizing Data Storage
DCFT technology allows providers to check patients’ healthcare data in a single centralized repository. A centralized cloud faxing system enables experts to access the data if they have corrected authorization quickly. It’s also the perfect option for rural healthcare centers that have not implemented EHRs. Also, DCFT is much easier to manage than EHR.
Facilitate Communication between EHRs
EHRs are common in the healthcare industry as it is a secure way of maintaining sensitive patient information. Cloud faxing technology is computable with EHRs and offers easy electronic communication sharing.
Offer Direct Embedding into EHRs
This faxing technology offers interoperability between EHR systems, as it allows hospitals, clinics, and other facilities to embed the cloud faxing system directly into facilities’ EHRs. This way, they can send data to others without using physical papers and keep the data secure.
Increase Efficiency
When multiple healthcare facilities want to share information with each other, they can use the system to share and maintain data. Since the system also offers easy and quick access to information, there will be a need for filing, scanning, and physical recording.
Bottom Line
If institutions and organizations want to boost interoperability, they need to leverage technology that can help them secure data as well as offer easy access. In that case, Digital Cloud Fax Technology is an ideal option for you.
