eSignature from Galvanon, a Unit of NCR, Enables Paperless Capture of Patient Signatures
July 17, 2007
MAITLAND, Fla. – Galvanon, an NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) company, today introduced eSignature, an electronic document management solution that allows health-care organizations to digitally capture, authenticate and store documents that require a patient signature.
Optimized for use with Galvanon’s patient self-service solutions, eSignature enables hospitals and clinics to move toward a paperless workflow by virtually eliminating the need to manually print, copy, file, scan and store patient documents, including admission and consent forms, privacy statements and other notices. Signatures are legally binding and securely stored so that they cannot be altered or changed.
“Through our use of eSignature, we no longer have to copy and scan paper forms with patient signatures, resulting in improved workflow and reduced administrative costs,” said Bill Tyler, director of patient access and health information management at Adventist Health System (AHS), which implemented eSignature at its Florida Hospital Fish Memorial location in Orange City, Fla.
AHS, the largest not-for-profit, Protestant health care organization in the United States, plans to implement eSignature at an additional 25 facilities.
With eSignature, patient signatures are captured via Galvanon’s eClipboard™ or a signature pad device and then saved as an image that can be transferred to the organization’s electronic medical record or document management system. Hospital staff can then access the forms electronically, which reduces time spent tracking down paper documents and streamlines compliance with requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
“Equally important,” Tyler added, “our patients have adopted the technology very quickly and appreciate its ease of use. This solution can now be leveraged for many other self-service applications in the future, such as patient check-in and co-pay collection.”
eSignature is available as a basic stand-alone product or it can be scaled up to a fully integrated kiosk and online self-service offering.
According to a study commissioned by the American Hospital Association, paperwork adds 36 minutes to every hour of patient care provided in the surgery and acute care setting. eSignature is designed to alleviate this burden by automating forms management and minimizing duplicate administrative tasks.
“With the paperwork resulting from regulatory requirements, hospitals and clinics need simple, cost-effective ways to automate forms management,” said Raj Toleti, president of Galvanon. “By taking this important step toward a paperless workflow, users can increase efficiency and lower the overall cost of care. At the same time, these organizations can establish a flexible self-service platform that utilizes eSignature hardware and software for the deployment of additional self-service capabilities.”
Galvanon’s eSignature is part of a comprehensive suite of patient self-service products that automate time-consuming manual processes including preregistration via the Web, online BillPay and MediKiosk™, a patient check-in solution.
About Galvanon
Galvanon, an NCR company based in Maitland, Fla., helps health-care organizations enhance the patient experience at home, in the hospital and in the physician’s office through innovative solutions such as kiosks, Web self-service applications and technology. Galvanon solutions (www.galvanon.com) streamline everyday patient interactions and improve patient flow through the health-care process.
About NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a leading global technology company helping businesses build stronger relationships with their customers. NCR’s Teradata® data warehouses, ATMs, retail systems, self-service solutions and IT services provide Relationship Technology™ that maximizes the value of customer interactions and helps organizations create a stronger competitive position. Based in Dayton, Ohio, NCR (www.ncr.com) employs approximately 29,500 people worldwide.
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NCR, eClipboard, MediKiosk and Teradata are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.
Media contact(s):
Robert (Kelly) Kramer
(770) 623-7215
kelly.kramer@ncr.com