No one likes audits, but they’re a fact of life for government agencies and private organizations alike. Whether the audit is being conducted internally or by a regulatory body, they consume time, effort, and budget. Worse, if the organization cannot produce the required information, auditors often take their absence as a mark against the organization.
“If you complied with the law, but it wasn’t systematically documented, regulators will treat it as though it never happened,” said Adam Haney, Assistant Counsel at Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, and Nedra Abbruzzese-Werling, Associate VP for Compliance Services at Boston University, in a presentation at the 2017 Higher Education Compliance Conference.
Thankfully, this is also one of the side benefits of the rise in electronic record-keeping. Electronic Records Management (ERM) systems typically include features that make performing and complying with audits simpler and more straightforward. Here’s how.
Digitization
Fundamentally, simply storing records in electronic format can make audits easier. Digitization puts relevant documentation at the user’s fingertips, never more than a click away, no matter when, where, or by whom the records were created or organized. In general, electronic records can be found and retrieved in a fraction of the time of physical documents.
Extensive searchability
Unlike physical records, electronic records can often be found through full-text searches as well as searchable metadata. This provides multiple routes to find the same file, so that even if an electronic document has been mislabeled or mis-tagged, the user need only try a different search.
Associating physical box or binder with one or more e-files
That said, most groups still deal with at least some physical and other analog records, but a good ERM system will allow operators to pair physical items with electronic records, making it easier to cross-reference and locate related digital and physical records at need.
Track physical documents
The ability to manage both electronic and physical documents in a single system is not universal, but where possible, the use of barcodes and online interfaces can offer a superior way for operators to track physical documents and know their status. That way, users always know where the documents are, even when they’re not within reach.
Automatic audit trails
One of the key questions asked in any audit is who did what. Without a robust (and usually voluntary and easily falsifiable) sign-in/sign-out system, analog files are vulnerable to changes or destruction without anyone knowing. And ERM system, however, can automatically log document access, usage, and changes by date and user – as well as protect against fraudulent entries. A good ERM system will make an automatically generated audit report available at a click for any individual document or user.
About PSL
PSL is a global outsource provider whose mission is to provide solutions that facilitate the movement of business-critical information between and among government agencies, business enterprises, and their partners. For more information, please visit https://www.penielsolutions.com or email info@penielsolutions.com.