Part of the benefit of using an Agency Management Platform is that it allows workflows and data submission to payers, including state Medicaid, to happen inside of the platform. All documentation and billing that would historically have to be submitted by snail mail and have an actual written signature can be managed electronically, including digital signatures. In order for any agency management platform to be useful, it must follow the digital signature guidelines that are prescribed in the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). All 50 states accept digital signatures, as long as they follow the law.
Below is the definition and parameters of electronic signatures direct from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services:
What Is an Electronic Signature?
There are several definitions to clarify.
- A digitized signature is an image of a pen-to-paper signature.
- An electronic signature can be an electronic sound, symbol, or process associated with a record. It is a mark added to a document to indicate intent to sign.
- A digital signature is a form of encryption that tightly binds documents to a unique number or electronic "fingerprint." Private companies called certification authorities provide private/public software key combinations used to encrypt and decrypt documents, and they issue "certificates" to bind the public keys to the key holders. However, certification business practice lacks national governance guidelines.
Electronic signatures are legally valid in all 50 states, and the security standards of electronic signatures are addressed in the security and privacy provision of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
HIPAA transactions do not require a digital signature at this time. However, HIPAA-covered entities that use electronic signatures for transactions must adhere to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services electronic signature standards. The software program must provide:
- Nonrepudiation - assurance that the signer cannot deny signing the document in the future,
- User authentication - verification of the signer's identity at the time the signature was generated, and
- Message integrity - certainty that the document has not been altered since it was signed.
To learn more about the measures MediSked takes to ensure digital signatures and access security are to the highest standards, please click here. By accepting the terms and agreements and logging in using your unique username and password, you have confirmed electronically who you are. Digital signatures are used throughout the workflow in MediSked Connect. Not only are they used to approve a note, plan or when making an observation, but also anytime a change is made. It is very easy to see the history of a note or plan as changes are made and kept in the record of the document.
