In today’s world, technology is an integral part of our lives. We rely on technology to communicate, work, and play. As technology continues to evolve, we must also learn new ways to interact with technology and gain more leverage by allowing our technologies to talk to each other.
This is especially important in healthcare, as clinics depend on multiple software systems, applications, and more to deliver care to patients and record vital medical information.
The act of connecting disparate systems or moving data recorded from one software to another is known as “integration.”
When considering approaches to moving data, you may have heard the following terms: data entry, FTP, HL-7, FHIR, and APIs. However, across industries, automation is another approach used to move data that are proven to be faster and requires less expense.
Automation is becoming more frequently used in healthcare to create integrations between disconnected technology software, ultimately providing clinical staff access to data at their fingertips and informed interactions.
Workflow automation optimizes processes by replacing manual work with software designed to complete tasks without the need for human input – like setting up systems, moving data between software, and completing customer service requests.
According to Gartner, 2019, spending on automation technologies grew by 63%, making workflow automation the fastest-growing segment of enterprise software.
With razor-thin margins in healthcare, organizations are searching for ways to extend staffing and reduce the time employees spend performing repetitive and error-prone tasks.
For instance, a healthcare provider may use automation to streamline their patient care management system. As well as reduce paperwork and administrative overhead in the registration and intake process while improving accuracy and reducing errors associated with manual data entry. Automation allows healthcare professionals more time to focus on what matters most: care delivery and patient outcomes.
Automation can make complex tasks easier, including moving data between software systems, so it’s more accessible for users. This approach also allows healthcare organizations the flexibility to improve processes or update inputs and outputs efficiently and continuously.
Using automation in your clinic will provide faster resolution, fewer errors, and a smoother user experience. When considering automation to bridge the gap in technology integrations, here are just a few advantages you can expect:
When considering the need for a new integration between systems, remember the implementation of automation can significantly reduce the time to value. Instead of an integration taking 6+ months, automation workflows can help organizations achieve their desired results in a matter of days or weeks — giving them more information faster and helping them make critical business decisions quicker.
Healthcare organizations can drastically reduce the cost associated with integrations by utilizing workflow automation. According to a McKinsey study, automation has been able to reduce costs by up to 45%. Streamlining the integration processes saves time and money while improving patient care.
Just imagine the time that could be saved if we removed the need to copy & paste chunks of data across software systems. If this action takes 10 seconds on average, repeating this process 60 times a day can add up quickly!
Across the span of a week, it could occupy nearly an hour per team member. In addition, automating this simple task can increase employee satisfaction by removing the need for redundant work across multiple systems.
Leading healthcare organizations increasingly use automation to streamline patient care, reduce costs, and improve accuracy. Common use cases adding value include integrations or moving data across systems, scheduling appointments, offloading call center volume, and closing care gaps.
The future of automation in healthcare is bright, as organizations increasingly rely on automation to stay ahead in the game and focus on what matters most.
