If you run a healthcare business, the odds are you deal with a lot of paperwork. Whether it's for patients, caregivers, nurses, doctors, or staff, you need a reliable system to store, organize, retrieve, and manage documents.
Some healthcare facilities still print everything on hard copies. Others have switched over to cloud document management, which involves fully digitized record-keeping in one central secure hub.
You may also have a hybrid setup, with a mix of digitized and printed forms. If you're considering whether to keep your print strategy as is or migrate to the cloud, here's an overview of what to expect.
Organization of Print vs Cloud Document Management Systems for the Healthcare Industry
Some businesses run like well-oiled machines with their hard copy file organization. With a proper system in place and strict adherence to organization standards, healthcare businesses can be very successful in keeping only hard copies.
For this reason, there are still businesses in the healthcare field that keep electronic health records (EHR) and other documents in physical filing cabinets. However, if you deal with things like audits that require large sets of data on short notice, you may find that hard copies can get jumbled up fast.
One of the main draws of cloud filing is the ability to sort documents and retrieve them by searching by whatever fields you like. Read a case study about a home healthcare company that took advantage of this technology here.
For example, if you only know someone's last name and the date they were admitted to the hospital, you could search these fields in a cloud platform to quickly retrieve the right medical records. Otherwise, you'd need to pull and review all physical records that meet those criteria.
Cloud document management is also highly customizable. Fields can be arranged and named according to the organization system and terms you use regularly, making it easier for staff to find what they need.
To read about top cloud document management systems businesses are using, check out our blog: Top 7 Cloud Storage Systems For Small Businesses
Data Security Considerations for Print vs Cloud Filing
With rising data security concerns in the healthcare industry, protecting sensitive medical information should be at the forefront of your document management system. There are many ways to enhance and maintain data security for both print environments and cloud filing platforms.
Print Security in Healthcare
Healthcare systems need organized, HIPAA-compliant print strategies that protect patient information while allowing providers to access critical records. To protect patient data while maintaining speedy patient care, you can leverage cloud printing, Endpoint Detection & Response, and physical access control within your print environment.
Cloud Printing - Solutions like Papercut and UniFLOW help mitigate excess copies of sensitive documents sitting in print trays. This is crucial to your print security strategy since stray copies pose a significant risk of documents falling into the wrong hands.
Cloud printing requires real-time intervention for users to retrieve copies. These tools often come with their own robust cybersecurity features, patched regularly by cloud providers.
Endpoint Detection & Response (EDR) - EDR is a tool to look for if you're in the market for a new printer. This is a powerful feature that detects even unknown kinds of attacks (also called zero-day attacks) in your printer, which is considered a network endpoint.
Once the system detects a threat, it will reboot your device to a safe place to mitigate the issue before hackers can take control of your printer. In this way, unlike traditional anti-virus software that merely recognizes known patterns signifying malware, EDR finds, eradicates, and records incidents.
Access Control & Other Print Security Tools - Some businesses opt to use keycards, PINs, or passwords to ensure printed materials are only retrieved by authorized individuals. Learn about other print security tools in our blog: Top 4 Cybersecurity Tools To Look For In A Business Printer
Security of Cloud Document Management Solutions
Like any cloud application, cloud filing systems come with document security features such as encryption to keep your documents safe from unauthorized use.
For these tools, providers have specialized teams that update applications with the latest protections against threats like hackers and malware.
This can help you achieve peace of mind that your documents are safe in the cloud, with regular, automatic patching to defend against emerging vulnerabilities hackers can take advantage of.
How to Find Print and Document Management for Healthcare Businesses
If you're looking to revamp how your practice organizes, protects, and stores files, it's a good idea to look for IT solutions for the healthcare sector.
There are many providers offering cloud solutions for healthcare practices, and the right service should offer:
- Quick response times
- A history of working with other healthcare organizations
- Robust cybersecurity tools and practices to protect patient records
- A wide range of IT solutions for the healthcare industry
- High-quality service with solid reviews to back it up
As a first step in elevating your productivity, improving patient care, and enhancing cybersecurity through cloud solutions, click the button below to speak with an IT expert about your business.
