Microsoft Dynamics Provides Enhanced Regulatory Compliance for Healthcare Organizations
Due to HIPAA regulations, healthcare organizations such as long-term care facilities, hospitals, community health centers, and physicians’ practices are under pressure to be compliant with the privacy standards set on who can retrieve and access patient medical records. Also, those organizations are concerned about improving patient quality of care and customer satisfaction.
Healthcare organizations have implemented Electronic Medical Record and Electronic Health Record Systems such as:
• eClinical Works
• Athena Health
• Credible
• Netsmart
• Allscripts Professional EHR
• Cerner Ambulatory EHR
• EpicCare EMR
• Practice Fusion
• NextGen Healthcare
• e-MDs Chart
• AdvancedEHR
• Praxis EMR
These systems collect and store patient information and address compliance and privacy concerns. They enable care providers to share patient information, reduce medical errors, and provide safer care.
As healthcare organizations move away from the manual data input and paper-based processes, they can end up with a mixture of manual and software-based solutions. Keeping those systems in sync can be difficult. Accessing the data promptly in the format needed for an audit can be almost impossible, negatively impacting productivity and data reliability.
Microsoft Dynamics GP provides an ERP framework that easily interfaces with EMR and EHR systems giving you the ability to achieve and maintain financial accountability and compliance, accreditation compliance, and patient information privacy and security.
The Risk Management Suite of Dynamics GP has two built-in modules: Audit Trails and Electronic Signatures to address compliance requirements (FDA) 21CFR Part11 and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act for how data is obtained, used, managed, and secured.
With the first module, Audit Trails you can verify the integrity of your data and support compliance with regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley.
- Track activities such as which users log in with a time and date stamp on each event.
- Export change history to Microsoft Excel
- Specify which users can view individual audit trails
- Capture before and after data values
- Support closed system requirements of regulations by capturing audit trail data in a separate database
Every time a change is made to a Dynamics GP document, Audit Trails takes a snapshot of the before and after data in the document and records the time, date, and user ID of the person who made the change.
You determine which users will be able to view the Audit Trails information by granting audit trail security access.
Audit information can be viewed in the SmartView window, and you can create favorites which give you the ability to store a restricted view of an audit table based on rules set for your healthcare organization. The audit tools window provides easy access to audit tools.
With the second module, Electronic Signatures, you can require one or more electronic signature authorizations for system changes and attach electronic signature reason codes and comments to the change history. You can control individual electronic signature assignments and passwords.
When a user tries to complete a system change controlled by an electronic signature, a password has to be entered before the change can be completed. First, determine which fields and windows require preventative controls based on the needs of your organization, business processes, or regulatory compliance. Then add an electronic signature to those fields and windows and decide who in the organization should be authorized to release the control.
When a Requestor enters a change that requires an approver’s authorization, the Approver will need to enter the electronic signature password to authorize the system change. You determine what information is required for the electronic signature to be valid, and what information is collected when the signature is used, such as reason codes and comments.
By improving efficiency and data reliability, Dynamics GP will help improve productivity and reduce risks. Dynamics GP will help you implement strong financial controls. Information needed for audit trails can be retrieved at the summary level as well as detail levels. If any errors are found, corrections can be made with easy to use interfaces from a desktop or tablet.
Microsoft Gold Partner, MIG & Co. can provide customized implementation and support of a Microsoft Dynamics GP solution that will integrate with your Electronic Medical Records and Electronic Health Records systems at a low total cost of ownership. Whether you want the added insurance to protect your data integrity, or if you face compliance audits due to industry regulations, Dynamics GP has you covered.
