What are policies & procedures in healthcare?
Healthcare policies are essential for sound decision-making within any healthcare organization. Managing these policies is often a complex task. If the resulting procedures aren't clear and accessible, both staff and patients can face negative consequences. Instead of leaving critical moments to chance, it's better to build healthcare policies that empower your workforce to act confidently in any situation and deliver the highest quality of care.
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How to write policies for healthcare organizations
Writing effective healthcare policy and procedure documentation requires a structured approach. Following a clear, step-by-step process ensures that your policies are comprehensive, compliant, and easy for your staff to understand and follow.
Prepare for Policy Writing
A smooth and seamless policy-writing process starts with proper preparation. Taking the time to gather resources and align stakeholders in advance will set you up for success.
Identify Subject Matter Experts & Stakeholders
Start by identifying the healthcare professionals in your organization who can guide and review each policy you create.
Gather Data
Compile any statistical data that informs your decision-making process. This information is valuable for drafting care policies and streamlining compliance.
Solidify Your Policy Structure
Review your existing policies and procedures. If the current format isn't effective, now is the time to make a change.
Research Current Policies
To create comprehensive and effective policies, you must first understand the policies already in place. Analyze what is working and what is not.
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Write Your Policies & Procedures
Now it's time to create in-depth policies and procedures that support the goals of your healthcare organization. Clear language and achievable goals are key.
List out every policy
When updating an existing policy, look for anything that could be misunderstood. For new policies, write out step-by-step actions in easy-to-understand language.
Resist the urge to copy & paste
It’s fine to reference the policies of other healthcare organizations, but originality is crucial to making your healthcare policy effective for your specific organization.
Write for the right audience
You aren't writing for an academic journal. You are writing for your staff members, so use language that is easy to read and understand.
Set achievable goals
Every policy should be accompanied by a SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-based) goal. This ensures your policies are realistic and meaningful.
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Use Policy Management Software
Managing policies manually is risky and time-consuming. Using a dedicated software solution can help centralize your information, making distribution, reviews, and updates easier. Look for a policy management solution that specializes in healthcare and understands your specific needs for regulatory compliance and healthcare documentation best practices. With the right tool, you can replace chaos with control, ensuring your team is always up to date and audit-ready.
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Policy Review & Next Steps
Your policies are drafted and ready for implementation. What comes next is just as important as the writing process itself.
Use an appointed reviewer
Limit reviewers to one proofreader and one expert from each service line, including subject matter experts, HR, and your organization’s legal counsel.
Prioritize staff training
Review all new and updated policies with staff members, answer their questions, and allow them to provide input on the language of certain procedures.
Monitor for compliance
Set up a system for tracking compliance to ensure staff members are following the new guidelines. Address any non-compliance immediately.
Review & adapt
Review your organization’s policies and procedures annually. Ensure you’re meeting the goals for each policy and adjust as needed.
A better strategy for healthcare policy management
Imagine a tool that lets you automate your workflow, search documents on demand, and secure attestation to make policy management simple. With HealthStream Policy Manager, you get a fully automated experience that offers peace of mind for you and empowerment for your staff. Go from template to policy in 60 seconds with a library of over 900 ready-to-use templates.
Why choose HealthStream for your policy management system
- We specialize in healthcare document management, so we understand your needs.
- Our solution is designed specifically for healthcare organizations like yours, with legalities and compliance in mind.
- Automation makes writing and managing policies faster, so you can focus on priority tasks.
- Our included templates cover a wide variety of healthcare services, organizations, and facilities.
- Our automated policy management enhances your workflow and offers a secure, centralized document management system.
Ready to make a change?
Track, manage, and distribute policy documentation with confidence and accuracy. Learn how you can use Policy Manager to easily search documents, enhance policy workflow, and more.