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Ask the Expert: What do The Joint Commission and NCQA say about electronic signatures on practitioner documents such as attestations and releases?

Credentialing & Verification Update, July 2, 2008

Most organizations are evaluating data collection and their paperwork burden to try to make these as cost effective and user-friendly as feasible. As such, many are going to electronic applications.

NCQA standards allow faxed, digital, electronic, scanned or photocopied signatures. Signature stamps are not acceptable to NCQA.

Joint Commission standards for hospitals do not specifically address signatures on applications. Standards only require a reliable and consistent process be in place to process applications. The standards do allow for electronic entries and signatures in medical records. Since the standards do not discount the use of electronic signatures on applications, hospitals are free to decide if they wish to implement such a process.

When considering an electronic signature, the organization should ensure that security measures are in place that would allow the organization to achieve the privacy and protection of confidentiality of the electronic data that is collected.

Editor's note: Kathy Matzka, CPMSM, CPCS answered this week's question. Kathy is a Lebanon, IL-based speaker, consultant, and writer with over 20 years of experience in medical and professional staff services. Questions and topic suggestions for CVU can be e-mailed to associate editor Dave Weliver at dweliver@hcpro.com.

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