COVID-19 Contract Management

COVID-19 Contract Management Tips

During uncertain times, it is critical to ensure all appropriate steps are taken to protect yourself, your business, and your patients.

Let’s start by protecting yourself and the work environment with these recommendations.

1. Stop COVID-19 Phishing and Malware Scams - We've all seen emails and websites promising to keep us safe from the COVID-19 pandemic. They offer news, statistics, tracking and safety advice. Many are scams or fronts for malware / ransomware and/or phishing to steal passwords and data. This discussion was written in the Loffler Blog. See complete discussion.
2. Keep your smartphones and keyboard clean - Your phone is a disease magnet. Here's how to safely disinfect it and the rest of your gear to help you stay healthy as coronavirus spreads. Read more from Wired.
3. Work remotely if your organization permits that option. Confirm your critical applications can be accessed from home. Don’t worry about Contract Guardian, it is a cloud based solution for healthcare contract management!
4. Be sure to communicate effectively on a remote team.
   1. Keep your writing clear and concise
   2. Be mindful of your body language during video conferences/chats
   3. Consider context -Whether you're delivering the message or receiving it, considering the context of your co-worker could help prevent misunderstandings.
   4. Use the designated tools by your organization.
   5. Think critically - It's easy to blame miscommunication on either the person who's sending the message or the one who's receiving it. Don't be that person; Stay patient and empathize with your team. Be mindful of how the message could be perceived and interpreted. Learn more from We Work Remotely (WWR).

Next we can take a look at 3 health system contract management considerations that will help mitigate risk and ensure compliance amidst a volatile work environment.

1. Keep organized - Ensure your contracts are in a central repository following standardized templates specific to your document types. User roles and permissions should be appropriately assigned so that individuals have access to what is relevant for their job role and responsibilities.

2. Leverage detailed search/report/filter capabilities - Ensure your system is able to quickly locate specific terms and clauses (ex. Force Majeure) of your contracts so that you are able to determine your (and contracted parties') responsibilities in crisis situations.

3. Maintain rigorous contracting processes - Create specific Workflow processing routes for your critical contracts with notifications, alerts and deadlines. This will ensure the contract process stays efficient and productive while experiencing other distractions.

Hoping everyone is staying safe and productive during these unstable times.