Digital signatures are being adopted throughout the healthcare industry in compliance with calls by regulatory bodies to ensure the integrity of electronic data, documents & processes and to ensure patient safety. In addition, physicians, nurses, health plan providers and others in the healthcare industry are often buried under tons of paper. The resultant workflow inefficiencies and cost concerns are driving the healthcare industry towards greater reliance on electronic records and processes which in turn require digital signatures.
Typical uses for Digital Signatures in healthcare:
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Patient consent forms
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Clinical orders
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Health records (reports etc.)
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Prescription for drugs
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Lab reports
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Doctor orders
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Clinical evaluations, and more
Benefits of Digital Signatures for Healthcare
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Never have to question the authenticity of records or the identity of the signatory
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Eliminate the risk of data theft and forgery
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Add both electronic and graphical (wet) signatures to a document
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Meet regulatory compliance
Transportability
Without transportability, electronic documents can be created and emailed, but the signature does not travel with the document outside of an organization. Electronic Signatures are embedded within the signed documents, which means that you keep sending the document as you did before, but now it includes the signature, just like you're used to when using handwritten signatures.
Healthcare Regulations & Electronic Signatures
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 1996) strongly recommends organizations authenticate and manage digital identities to protect the confidentiality and integrity of personal health information both on and offline.
Electronic signatures based on a mature & proven PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) technology are the best means to protect the integrity of information. And indeed HIPAA requires the protection of integrity "to corroborate that electronically protected health information has not been altered or destroyed in an unauthorized manner".