{"id":816349,"date":"2024-05-17T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-05-17T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/?p=816349"},"modified":"2026-01-16T12:04:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T20:04:11","slug":"digital-signature-healthcare-consent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/digital-signature-healthcare-consent\/","title":{"rendered":"Digitizing Consent in Healthcare\u00a0with Handwritten eSignatures"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Anyone can sign their name on a paper form. It\u2019s easy, immediate, and clearly demonstrates consent. But using paper forms in environments like hospitals is insecure, expensive, and inefficient.&nbsp;So how can organizations eliminate paper forms, retain the familiarity of pen and paper, and drive digital efficiency?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Handwritten electronic signatures deliver the best-of-both worlds \u2013 with 100% digital process and an intuitive signing experience that feels just like pen and paper.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The ROI of Digitizing Consent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:20%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/Feature-Block-1-Right.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-816352\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/Feature-Block-1-Right.jpg 270w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/Feature-Block-1-Right-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/Feature-Block-1-Right-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 270px) 100vw, 270px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The cost of paper forms<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paper forms generate numerous costs for healthcare organizations from the cost of the paper in the printer to the time wasted by patients and staff completing, scanning, checking, updating, and archiving paperwork<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hard costs like paper and scanners are simple to quantify and compelling. For example, the average 1,500 bed hospital spends <a href=\"https:\/\/interlacehealth.com\/econsent-blog-series-cost-3\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/interlacehealth.com\/econsent-blog-series-cost-3\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$4 million a year on printing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But that misses the soft costs, which can be exponentially higher. In addition to printing and scanning, getting paper records back into an electronic health record (EHR) can require staff to spend significant amounts of time fixing, re-typing or scanning each document.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Digitizing Patient Consent with Wacom\" width=\"1080\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4xEFodpwGfo?feature=oembed\"  allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Impact of Going Digital<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are three key metrics that leading healthcare organizations can use to measure the impact of digitizing their patient consent process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:20%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"270\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/Feature-Block-3-Left.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-816353\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/Feature-Block-3-Left.jpg 270w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/Feature-Block-3-Left-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/Feature-Block-3-Left-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 270px) 100vw, 270px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:80%\">\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Errors and omissions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Studies show that paper forms are extremely error prone, with <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33783479\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">an estimated 50% containing errors and up to 90% containing critical omissions<\/a>. By contrast, automating eForm generation, enabling digital patient review and capturing consent with a handwritten electronic signature can all combine to reduce error and omission rates to <a href=\"https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33783479\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">less than 7%<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Time spent at registration&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On average, it takes about 20 minutes to complete an in-person patient registration using paper documents. Facilities using Wacom have successfully reduced the time at registration by 75%, down to just 5 minutes. Decreasing the time spent at registration improves the patient experience and reduce the administrative burden for staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Savings on paper<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Facilities should also look at the hard costs of paper when evaluating the shift to digital. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cmswire.com\/cms\/document-management\/dreams-of-the-paper-free-office-aiim-reports-014439.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">average lifetime cost of each piece of paper is $3.634<\/a>. This includes the cost of printers, scanners, storage, archiving and secure document disposal which are often overlooked but significant to the bottom line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Signature Capture Solutions for Healthcare<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/STU-540_In-Use_2025_CloseUp-1570.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25952927\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/STU-540_In-Use_2025_CloseUp-1570.jpg 800w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/STU-540_In-Use_2025_CloseUp-1570-480x480.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 800px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>STU-540 Color Signature Pad<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wacom signature pads provide a low cost, reliable way to capture handwritten signatures from patients electronically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wacom.com\/en-us\/for-business\/products\/signature-pad-stu-540-541\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-top is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/DTU-1141B_In-Use_2025_Business-CloseUp-8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-25952928\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/DTU-1141B_In-Use_2025_Business-CloseUp-8.jpg 600w, https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/40\/2024\/05\/DTU-1141B_In-Use_2025_Business-CloseUp-8-480x480.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 600px, 100vw\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>DTU-1141B Pen Display&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wacom pen displays enable patients to read and sign forms on screen as they would on paper with biometrically and visually accurate digital ink.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wacom.com\/en-us\/for-business\/products\/pen-display-dtu-1141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more &gt;<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Working with Your Electronic Health Record<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wacom devices are supported by many EHR providers including Cerner, Epic, Dedalus, Fujitsu and others. With Wacom, signed digital documents are saved right into the patient record \u2013 no printing, scanning, or archiving required.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">EHR vendors can integrate Wacom one of three ways: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Building it directly using our software development kits<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Utilizing a middleware vendor that already has an integration in place <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Utilizing one of Wacom\u2019s plug-ins<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each of these approaches includes free integration and product support from Wacom. They can also be used to integrate any Wacom device, including both signature pads and pen displays.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/content.wacom.com\/acton\/attachment\/43270\/f-bef517da-cb16-41ed-af5b-fc50511cefa7\/1\/-\/-\/-\/-\/wacom_for_business_usecase_healthcare-consent_us_20220713.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn more ><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">To learn more about Wacom\u2019s Signature Solutions for healthcare visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wacom.com\/healthcare\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">our website<\/a>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Handwritten electronic signatures deliver the best-of-both worlds \u2013 with 100% digital process and an intuitive signing experience that feels just like pen and paper.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":126,"featured_media":816357,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2472],"tags":[2905,2922,2906],"class_list":["post-816349","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ink","tag-signature","tag-signature-solutions","tag-solutions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816349","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/126"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=816349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/816349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/816357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=816349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=816349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=816349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}