I think there are certain terms or expressions in our present day tech lexicon that have become undercut because of overuse. To this point, I give you “game changing.” Especially in the technology sphere, we have a tendency to play the “game-changer” card every time there’s a new app, software upgrade or iPhone release. Abuse of the term has watered down its impact and when something really is a game-changer, we automatically approach it with cynicism.

The news is in on paper consent forms. And it isn’t good. A comprehensive study conducted by

It seems like almost every healthcare IT vendor these days is touting their “touch free” or “paper free” technology, to the point where “paperless” has become an over-used buzzword. The dirty little secret for most vendors and their solutions? While they do remove some hard copies, they also leave behind pesky pockets of paper. This means that staff members have to retrieve forms and get patients to fill in and sign them, both at the bedside and in registration. Then those forms need to be copied, sent to medical records/HIM and scanned. This is a time-consuming, error-prone process which delays the availability of information for clinicians.

The news is in on paper consent forms. And it isn’t good. A comprehensive study conducted by JAMA found that 66% of patients were missing signed consent forms at surgery and that this caused a delay for 14% of operative cases.

Imagine waiting for surgery and being told, "Sorry, we can't go ahead yet because we're having a forms management issue." It would be unacceptable for you as the patient and could compromise your health. In the case of an emergency, it could even put your life in jeopardy. From the hospital’s perspective, such delays could be a massive liability issue and a threat to your facility’s reputation that could prove very damaging in an increasingly competitive healthcare market.