The quality of care for patients rests on policy and procedure manuals, which are only as good as their policy management and accessibility. According to an article published in The New England Journal of Medicine in January 2023, one patient in four hospital-based admissions suffers an adverse event. Is it possible that these adverse events are related to poor policy management?
What is Policy Management Software and Why Do I Need It?
Infection control, medication distribution and administration, pandemics, central-line insertion, patient-sensitive information, conflict resolution—the volume of hospital policies and procedures grow with changes to CMS regulations and accrediting organization standards, evidence-based practice and new technology. Not creating, implementing, and updating policies and procedures leave healthcare organizations at risk for poor or inconsistent patient care, the possibility of adverse events, lawsuits, or even the loss of healthcare funding.
As a hospital administrator or department manager, one of your many organizational tasks is to create and maintain hospital policies and procedures, a time-consuming venture. Fortunately, procuring policy management software that delivers regularly updated, evidence-based, and readily accessible hospital policies provides an easy solution. Not only does it save you time, but it also improves the delivery of safe, quality patient care.
What Does Policy Management Software Provide?
MCN Healthcare is the only healthcare policy management solution designed solely for healthcare professionals by healthcare professionals for your organizational needs. MCN’s policy management software
- Provides a ready-made library of evidence-based policy and procedure templates that you can tweak to fit your organization
- Streamlines the management of hospital policy
- Ensures compliance with standards and regulations
- Improves the quality of care for patients
A policy management software solution reduces your workload and, even more importantly, is an essential tool for improving the quality of care.
How Can Policy Management Software Improve the Quality of Care In Hospitals?
Policy management software can improve the quality of care in several ways.
Avoiding the Silo
Healthcare organizations often create their policies in silos throughout their different departments and between facilities in a healthcare system, of which said policies are as varied as the individuals who write them. Choosing a policy management software provides you with a high-quality standardization of policies and procedures throughout your organization. Policy management software aids in the continuum of care throughout the healthcare organization.
Standardized Policies
MCN has a Policy Library with more than 18,000 policy and procedure templates that you can customize to your organization. MCN’s policies and procedures meet CMS regulations and accrediting organization standards.
Accessibility
The quality of patient care improves when employees can easily access policies. Why? Because accessible policies guide medical procedures, safety protocols, transporting patients, housekeeping, and many other processes that lead to safe, quality patient care.
Using policy management software means your organization’s policies and procedures are maintained in a central repository, eliminating the need for dusty binders filled with policies and procedures found in abstract corners of nursing units.
Policy management software streamlines processes and procedures and P&Ps are accessible to staff 24/7.
Employee Assessment/Acknowledgment
MCN’s policy management software goes beyond just making policies and procedures accessible. MCN’s Policy Manager allows the employer to track employee acknowledgment or assessment of updated and new policies and procedures thereby reducing variation in patient care and reducing risk.
Hospitals can ensure that staff members are kept up-to-date on the latest protocols and regulations by having an organized system for tracking, updating, and enforcing policies. This system helps reduce medical errors and ensures compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Updated Policies
MCN monitors federal agencies as well as accrediting organizations to ensure that policies and procedures are updated and customers are alerted to updates and changes. Part of the MCN Solution is StayAlert! StayAlert! is an email notification system that provides notices to customers addressing changes to regulations and standards and provides tools to meet those changes.
We have established that excellent policy management software supports updated and accessible policies essential to maintaining quality patient care and high hospital standards. The next question is—where do we go from here?
How Do You Implement Policy Management Software in Your Hospital?
Policy management is a pain point for hospital leadership. We recognize that you cannot possibly complete every required task on a daily basis. However, MCN can provide you with a solution to
- Create policies and procedures
- Maintain policies and procedures through automated policy approval workflow processes
- Update policies and procedure
- Ensure easy policy accessibility
- Tracking and reporting
- Employee acknowledgment of new and updated policies and procedures
So, What Is the Next Step?
The next step is collaborating with our MCN staff, who are eager to help you navigate policy management and be successful. Our Implementation Specialists and Tech Services are the best in the industry (we are not just saying that, they really are!). We have your back!
First, check out MCN Healthcare Policy Management Software Solutions home page and familiarize yourself with our policy management, contract management and learning solutions. Each has unique characteristics to benefit your document management needs.
Download our brochures; then schedule a free no-obligation demo.
This step is only the beginning of your collaborative journey with MCN Healthcare. Once you contract with MCN, our team of Implementation Specialists will guide you through the implementation process from start to finish. This process includes choosing ready-made, customizable, evidence-based policies from the policy library, learning the software, completing training sessions, and getting help with any questions.
Are you worried about communicating with us if you have a problem? We are available by phone, email, and chat, and have a Help Library that is second to none!
Welcome to the MCN Healthcare Management Software Solutions family!
More on Policy Management:
- Policy Management Software Should Make Your Job Easier, Not Harder
- MCN Policy Manager: Enhance Operational Efficiency and Meet Compliance at Your Convenience
- Advantages of MCN Healthcare’s Policy Management Software
References
Bates, D. W., Levine, D. M., Salmasian, H., et al. (2023). The Safety of Inpatient Health Care. The New England Journal of Medicine, 388:142-153. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa2206117
Bento, F., Tagliabue, M., & Lorenzo, F. (2020). Organizational Silos: A Scoping Review Informed by a Behavioral Perspective on Systems and Networks. Societies. 10(3), 56. https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/10/3/56
Irving, A. (2014). Policies and Procedures for Healthcare Organizations: A Risk Management Perspective. Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare. https://www.psqh.com/analysis/policies-and-procedures-for-healthcare-organizations-a-risk-management-perspective/
Tags: MCN Healthcare, Policy Management Software, Policy Management System, Policies and Procedures, Nursing Policies, Nursing Procedures