Electronically Signed Documents

Why make things more difficult than necessary? There’s no point in that, and it only wastes time and money, both of which I value quite a bit. That’s why I mandated the development of one of our most efficent student health form capabilities yet. Actually, that part is a lie – I didn’t mandate anything. Yet.

But, the rest of that is real, and it’s going to make the lives of school nurses and health staff much more pleasant. So, without even further ado, let’s get to the good stuff… ESD

Electronically Signed Documents. I don’t mean digital authorization. This isn’t hypothetical. It isn’t a dream. This is real.

Literally, a student’s form never has to be printed in order to be signed. Schools can elect to use Electronically Signed Documents, and transition many of their forms – consent to treat, field trip permission slips, OTC medications, and more – thereby eliminating the need for parents to ever print a form. The school can determine exactly what the form says, and the parent/guardian needs merely to type their name in the document and submit it (after reading it thoroughly of course).

The real beauty in this design may, on the surface, appear to be for the parent/guardians signing forms. And there is very real beauty there. But the even bigger benefit, is the fact that because Electronically Signed Document signatures are verified by Magnus, and compliant with ESIGN (Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act) and UTEA (Uniform Electronic Transactions Act), the forms no longer need to be reviewed by health staff. Seriously. That’s not a joke – I wouldn’t play about that.

The key is that electronic signatures provide “non-repudiation” – the ability to identify the signer and whether the document has been changed since it was first digitally signed. So, a parent signs a document, it’s verified as correct, and stored happily ever after. And if the form changes over time, the parent merely signs the new form. It too, is then verified and stored happily ever after. Not only do health staff spend significantly less time reviewing forms, but in turn, costs are reduced and efficiency is increased. Plus, compliance improves because the entire process is simpler, quicker, and as I promised, more pleasant.

It’s win-win, my friends.

Want more info about Magnus Health electronic signatures? I knew you would.