4 Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Applications in the Healthcare Industry
The healthcare industry has the potential to save billions over the coming decade with the recent addition of robotic process automation (RPA) systems into hospitals and clinics. There’s much buzz surrounding the technology because of its ability to automate tedious tasks, paving the way for healthcare workers to focus on high-value work and better-decision making. RPA uses sets of structured data with proper design, planning and governance in order to optimize the value of its intelligent automation framework.
What’s essential in the technology is its ability to automate business processes and software developers believe that companies can use RPA to configure software to increase efficiency in the workplace. It can process transactions, manipulate data, trigger responses and communicate with other digital systems. In the healthcare world, the technology could help hospitals, clinics, medical professionals, administrators and patients save money at a time where health care costs are expected to grow 6.5% worldwide through 2018. Plus, the RPA market will reach $1 billion by 2020, according to Gartner and 40% of enterprises will have adopted an RPA tool by then. Intelligent automation company WorkFusion offers an RPA platform that healthcare providers can use to streamline their work processes.
Here are four ways you can use RPA to improve work processes in medicine:
- Bolstering Revenue Cycles
Organizations can benefit greatly from the technology’s ability to improve the revenue cycle and administrative processes. Outdated systems often have to deal with a slew of changes in code that take place during the billing cycle, but RPA is capable of adapting to these changes in an easy and seamless manner. The technology automates menial, time-consuming and repetitive processes such as data digitization and accounts payable, which can ultimately improve billing efficiency and a lower amount of write-offs. This ultimately helps healthcare providers save their resources.
2) Offering Optimal Care
RPA has great benefit in medical records as it can provide analysis and data based on a patient’s condition and how they’re progressing. The technology can monitor a patient’s journey from when they first showed symptoms to where they are now and offer a smart diagnosis and treatment options by analyzing data from vast databases of medical knowledge and wisdom. Healthcare providers can improve the care cycle greatly as it streamlines much of their work and, ultimately, helps out the patients. Plus, the technology is effective in care management, including coordinating that care, case and utilization management, population wellness and remote monitoring.
3) Claims Administration
One of the most time-consuming tasks that healthcare administrators have to deal with is spent handling claims. This includes inputting and processing claims, as well as adjusting them and dealing with appeals. With machines equipped with RPA, your organization can be at the forefront of the digitization movement in claims management. While the technology is still in its early stages in this front, it has great potential moving forward to revolutionize the way the healthcare industry operates.
4) Savings in Human Labor
Perhaps the best potential application of the technology is in its ability to automate manually intensive tasks and save valuable time. RPA will not replace human workers, but instead will help elevate them into churning out higher-value work that maximizes the clinical training they have. The technology helps human workers become more focused and devoted to patient care and their positions within the industry. A Texas hospital study found that automation in the areas of medical records, order entry and decision support resulted in a reduction in deaths, complications and cost. Human workers being happy with their positions ultimately leads to a higher ROI and healthier patients.
Conclusion
RPA is offering great benefit to health care professionals and administrators everywhere in helping them perform their tasks at a higher capacity with less legwork. While the technology is reducing overhead costs and boosting ROI for hospitals and clinics, its true value lies in the ability to improve patient care and treatment.
