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Informed Consent Policy updated to address e-consents

25 Jan 2026

Epic forms will change Feb. 2



By: G. Andrew Clarke, MD, FACS, Chief Medical Information Officer

Salem Health’s Informed Consent Policy​​ has been updated to address e-consents (Salem Health intranet access required to view link).

What’s changing?

  • A witness signature on the consent form is now required only if the patient:
    • Lacks decision-making capacity
    • Requires an interpreter
    • Is having the procedure at West Valley Hospital
      • CMS Critical Access Hospital regulations require a witness signature by a provider, RN or MA.
  • On Feb. 2, the e-consent forms in Epic will be updated to reflect the witness signature change.
  • Point-of-care e-consent tools will be rolling out across clinical areas over the coming months, watch for future details in Common Ground.

What’s staying the same?

  • Paper consent forms remain available for use and in the event of a downtime. 

Action steps