Key takeways
- Healthcare services are not just about diagnosis and treatments but also require compassion, empathy, and care by healthcare professionals.
- RPA in healthcare enhances the quality of healthcare services by automating several administrative and non-administrative processes.
- Bots relieve staff from performing tedious tasks to focus on other activities requiring a human touch.
- Improved patient interactions boost the patient experience.
When one thinks of RPA in healthcare, we tend to imagine a hospital full of robots attending to the different needs of patients. And, this is not a pleasant thought for the patients. Besides, healthcare professionals also feel that their jobs are threatened and their roles diluted. But the reality is far from this!
Automation in healthcare will only improve the quality of services provided. It will relieve staff who are performing tedious tasks to focus on other activities. The healthcare sector experienced a thrust in its digital initiatives during the pandemic when managing healthcare facilities was difficult. Robotic Process Automation has made inroads in the healthcare sector and is enhancing the efficiency of different processes.
What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?
RPA is the automation of logic-based processes so that they run independently without human intervention. Automation bots perform routine processes and eliminate human errors and enhance efficiency. RPA relieves the staff from performing mundane processes. The staff can focus on other activities that require the human touch which is so important in the healthcare sector.
Healthcare services are not just about diagnosis and treatments, but they also require compassion, empathy, and care by healthcare professionals. If the routine processes are automated and functioning seamlessly, healthcare experts can take better care of the patient’s physical and emotional health.
This is the reason that automation is such an important aspect of the healthcare sector. There are several administrative and non-administrative processes in the Healthcare sector that can be easily automated by bots.
It is expected that RPA will be adopted more extensively in the years to come. Data indicates that the healthcare automation market is expected to grow at 8.415% in 7 years. (Source: Cflowapps)
Following are some use cases where RPA can be deployed:
Data Management
The healthcare sector has data coming from several sources such as GPs, insurance companies, appointment scheduling, labs, and more. Managing data from multiple sources can be cumbersome and time-consuming. Besides, manual data management is prone to human errors. RPA helps create a central repository of data that helps minimize the healthcare resources used for data processing. RPA enhances the efficiency and accuracy of data management in healthcare.
RPA also streamlines data sharing between various stakeholders. It facilitates compliance with privacy protocols by regulating permission and access rights.
RPA bots prevent data loss or corruption as they introduce fast detection and response time to cyberattacks. Further, RPA prevents data breaches with automated cybersecurity processes that are fast and effective.
Auxiliobits provided RPA solutions to a third-party service provider that provides remote patient monitoring devices. The readings from individual devices needed to be synchronized with the medical EMRs. The service provider was facing issues in syncing because of a large variety and increasing volume of remote sensing devices.
Automation bots resolved this issue by offering scalable solutions where new devices and clinics could be integrated in a quick time. The efficiency improved with no manual effort. The staff could be assigned more productive tasks. Over 10,000 vital reports could be attached. RPA also streamlined claims tracking, risk, and compliance processing.
Another grey area of manual data processing is managing referrals from multiple web portals. Automation software provided by Auxiliobits streamlined referral processing for their client by overcoming challenges faced due to the limitation of the manual system of processing a large volume of referrals in limited timeframes. RPA facilitated real-time monitoring of 10+ portals. It provided 80% accuracy in managing referrals. Speed enhancement with minimal delays and minimal errors was achieved.
Scheduling Appointments
Appointment scheduling is a complex task because it involves the interplay of several parameters such as symptoms, diagnosis, availability of doctor, location, convenience, timing, and more. RPA streamlines appointment scheduling by taking care of all the touchpoints. RPA bots manage appointment creation, reminders, cancellations, and more. It not only reduces the effort of the administrative staff but also enhances the patient experience. Besides it also minimizes the use of paper.
Streamlines Billing
RPA bots streamline health payments that include costs of tests, medicines, food, doctor’s fees, and more. Different bills are consolidated into a single invoice. This simplifies the billing process and enhances patient satisfaction. Automation also minimizes human errors and speeds up the process. It gives more time for healthcare professionals to focus on other areas of healthcare.
Claims Management
Claims management is a time-consuming process. RPA bots take 12 seconds to process an insurance claim when compared to manual systems which take 85 seconds. (Source: https://stlpartners.com/articles/digital-health/rpa-6-use-cases-in-healthcare/).
Many cases of claims denial or delays in sanction of claims are because of registration and eligibility errors. RPA bots check the eligibility of the claims quickly and identify errors that are slowing the claims processing.
Auxiliobits resolved claims management difficulties faced by a client. The client provided a login to different EMRs, search for patients, creating encounters with CPT codes and minutes. Automation facilitated syncing of 1000+ ICD/CPT codes every day. It supported multiple EMRs and offered scalable solutions. Automation bots eliminated human errors and offered 100% accuracy. The efficacy of claims management was enhanced with minimal human effort.
Keeping Track of Assets
Healthcare facilities use several devices and different types of equipment required for the treatment of patients. Staff needs to keep track of these assets. These could be equipment like blood pressure measuring instruments, ventilators, medical pumps, and more. A lot of time gets wasted in looking for the equipment and finding them at the appropriate time. Besides, if the required device is not available at the right time, it could increase wait time and delay critical treatment.
RPA bots work with digital sensors and cloud-based panels to ensure that asset inventories are accurate and up-to-date. They help the staff to locate it easily and quickly. An automated system also monitors the condition of the equipment and sends alerts for replacement in case any equipment is faulty.
Automation is also used in the time and location of organs to facilitate seamless organ transplants.
Data Analytics and Diagnostics
Healthcare professionals gather large volumes of data from different patients each day. The data not only helps in providing the right treatment to patients but also provides reference material to doctors for treating similar cases. Doctors can offer customized treatment to patients by referring to the recorded parameters and other details. Patient data helps doctors in accurate diagnosis and better quality treatment.
RPA bots also have a role to play in the telehealth services provided to patients. They streamline online screening processes and aid diagnostics.
Post-discharge Care
Patient care continues even after a patient is discharged. RPA helps in post-discharge care of patients. Patients can be sent automated reminders for taking medications, following a meal plan, scheduling follow-up appointments with doctors, sending reminders for doctor’s visits, etc.
Facilitates at-home Recovery
RPA bots act as a link between the hospital and the home of the patient. They send reminders to the patient to measure parameters such as blood pressure, weight, etc. Automation also notifies the medical care provider in case of any issues with the measured readings. It can also schedule virtual appointments from home if required. This enhances the patient experience and facilitates at-home recovery and reduces demand for hospital beds.
RPA technology can revolutionize the quality of healthcare services provided. It provides a better patient experience. If you are integrating RPA for your healthcare facilities, consult an experienced automation expert to guide you.
Auxiliobits is a leading RPA solution provider that helps organizations select the best automation technologies for their business. We have years of experience in the field. We have helped healthcare professionals scale up their services and boost their ROI with customized automation solutions. We recommend automation software that can integrate seamlessly with your existing systems.