The Dynamic Role of SharePoint in Healthcare

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SharePoint in HealthcareMicrosoft SharePoint is a versatile platform with a broad range of features and capabilities that make it well-suited for addressing the unique needs of healthcare organizations. From efficient document management to improved collaboration and data analytics, SharePoint can significantly transform the way hospitals manage information and communicate.

Document Management and Organization

One of the primary applications of SharePoint in hospitals is efficient document management. Hospitals manage vast amounts of data, including patient records, medical histories, policies, and procedures. SharePoint provides a secure and centralized platform for storing, organizing, and managing electronic medical records, ensuring that healthcare professionals can quickly and securely access crucial patient information. Features like version control and document collaboration further guarantee that all stakeholders are working with the most current data — minimizing errors and enhancing patient care.

Enhanced Collaboration and Communication

Effective collaboration among healthcare teams is essential for delivering high-quality care. SharePoint facilitates this by offering real-time communication tools, document sharing capabilities, and workflow automation features. This enables doctors, nurses, and administrative staff to work together more effectively, resulting in improved coordination and communication.

Access to Critical Information

SharePoint’s robust search capabilities simplify the process of locating essential data, reducing the time spent searching for patient records and important medical information. User-friendly interfaces and personalized dashboards enhance usability, ensuring that healthcare professionals can access the information they need quickly and efficiently.

Efficiency Through Workflow Automation

Routine administrative tasks, such as appointment scheduling, billing, and insurance claims processing can be automated, leading to increased operational efficiency. This frees up valuable time and resources that can be redirected towards patient care.

Compliance and Security

Ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), is a top priority in healthcare. SharePoint offers robust security features, including access controls, auditing, and encryption to help safeguard patient data and maintain compliance. Compliance not only protects patient information but also reduces the risk of costly fines and legal consequences.

Customization and Quality Improvement

SharePoint’s adaptability allows hospitals to customize it to meet the specific needs of each department and clinical workflow. It supports quality improvement initiatives by tracking and analyzing patient feedback, clinical outcomes, and performance metrics, facilitating continuous enhancements in the quality of care.

Microsoft SharePoint has become an indispensable tool in healthcare because it modernizes operations, enhances patient care, ensures compliance, and supports data-driven decision-making. Its versatility, security features, and scalability make it an asset in healthcare. As hospitals continue to utilize SharePoint, they can expect to see improvements in efficiency, patient satisfaction, and overall healthcare delivery.

If you would like more information about SharePoint solutions for your business, fill out the form on this page and someone will get back with you or call us at 314-806-0622.

The Benefits of Cloud-Based Unified Communications

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More and more businesses are seeing the increased productivity and cost savings of the new work-from-home and hybrid work business model. Most of these savings and benefits are made possible by cloud-based Unified Communications.

As businesses closed their offices, globally, cloud UC went from a fast-growing sector of the economy to one that is indispensable for business, providing increased productivity and improving the customer experience. With more companies deploying a remote workforce, it’s important for businesses to utilize cloud based unified communications.

What is Cloud-Based Unified Communications?

Cloud UC provides all of the same applications as traditional UC except that it’s delivered as a cloud-based service, as opposed to needing on-premise telephone equipment.

Cloud UC services are hosted by third-party service providers. These providers provide value and ensure a high-quality user experience with video, VoIP, and real-time communication services. Many providers also package cloud UC applications with SD-WAN and network services so that remote users get more consistent and predictable performance across the globe.

A recent survey found that the top challenges with UC today are network performance management and global service consistency. A global network service provider’s overall management of their application, including 100% in-sequence packet delivery, delivers the total package for ensuring high-performing UC application performance worldwide.

What are the Benefits of Cloud-Based UC?

The majority of the benefits of cloud-based UC are related to remote work enablement, hence, the huge surge of cloud UC amid COVID, providing flexibility, and cost savings to businesses.

Remote Work

Cloud UC allows anyone to work efficiently anytime, from anywhere. Employees are no longer tethered to a physical desk in an office, and that’s opened the floodgates for remote and hybrid work for businesses around the world. Gartner and others suggests that between 22-51% of the U.S. workforce will continue working from home in some capacity through 2025 as the covid pandemic runs its course. Even then, remote work will likely remain an important part of how organizations do business.

The Flexibility of Cloud UC

Cloud UC allows people to work with more flexibility with cloud-based communication and collaboration capabilities. Employees can quickly launch video meetings anytime, anywhere from within one simple app. They can make and receive calls regardless of where they are, what device they’re using, or what form of communication works best for them. In short, cloud UC gives users the freedom they have needed for being productive in a way that works best for them.

Cost Savings

Companies can save with cloud-based UC in a few ways. On the capital expenditure side, research shows businesses can save about $11,000 annually for each employee that works remotely – and those numbers are based on part time employment. On the operating expenditures side, cloud UC allows companies to reassign IT staff to other business goals and objectives. On-premise equipment maintenance costs are also rising. Companies with less than 1,000 users and one single provider save nearly $700 per user license when they switch to cloud UC. Unlike premise-based solutions, upgrades and refreshes are already included in the cost of your cloud UC system.

With cloud-based UC, services are software-driven, meaning features are infinitely customizable to meet the growing and changing needs of your business. In other words, you can use Application Programming Interfaces, or APIs, to extend your UC functionality into different business apps and workflows. You can also add automatic speech recognition and virtual agent services so that customers can navigate menus and services by simply speaking to a sophisticated AI-powered engine. The options to customize are seemingly endless.

If you’d like more information about Cloud-based Unified Communications, fill out the form on this page and one of our representatives will get back with you.

IT Solutions for Healthcare

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Healthcare professionals, throughout the United States, have been learning to manage HIPAA compliance to adhere to industry requirements. One component that the healthcare industry must comply with is the Security Risk Assessment (or SRA), which must be completed annually. The Security Risk Assessment includes, not only your processes and procedures, for managing protected health information, it also includes a thorough review of your IT Infrastructure, including areas such as:

  • Access Controls
  • Business Continuity Procedures
  • Perimeter Security
  • Storage
  • Secure data transmission
  • Patch Management

All of these issues are critical to the security and privacy of your patients’ information, and performing a security risk assessment can be time-consuming and difficult. WheelHouse Solutions’ HIPAA risk assessment team has worked hard to make these assessments as quick and painless as possible so that you can focus on your patients.

What you get

Our risk assessment provides you with a full, audit-ready report, that explains to you where you are at-risk and what changes you can make to reduce the risks. We will run an analysis of your IT environment, including scans that will help you identify where you have protected health information. When we leave, you can feel confident that you have a plan that will keep you in compliance.

Security Risk Assessment FAQs

Who is required to complete an annual SRA?

Any organization that maintains, tracks or, otherwise, has access to protected health data is required to complete an annual SRA, particularly medical professionals, such as chiropractors, dentists, general practitioners and other medical specialists.

Is Security Risk Analysis optional for small providers?

In a word – No. All providers who are “covered entities”, under HIPAA, are required to perform a risk analysis. Additionally, any providers who receive EHR incentive payments are required to perform an SRA, as well.

Is it true that EHR vendors are not responsible for compliance?

While an EHR vendor may be able to provide information, or training, on privacy and security aspects, relating to their product, they are not actually responsible for making their products compliant with HIPAA’s Privacy and Security Rules. It is, solely, the responsibility of the “covered entity” to complete an SRA.

Healthcare is evolving, and you need the technology team to help your organization evolve with it. At WheelHouse Solutions, we’ll assist you at every stage – from HIPAA-compliant infrastructure, including mobile solutions, to real-time access to patient information. Our healthcare IT Solutions, Cloud Services and Managed Services ensure compliance and flexibility, throughout your organization.  Fill out the form on this page or call us at 314-492-2506 for a free consultation.