5 Processes You Might Be Failing to Automate

December 12, 2016

Category: News

Rapidly-evolving technologies and increasing demands on healthcare systems are making automation a "must-have" for medical organizations.  While often associated with job loss because machines are thought to replace humans, automation merely extends human capabilities for care delivery and process management.  Automation provides a host of benefits to individual providers and health networks.

• Employees no longer have to perform tedious, time-consuming tasks, which allows them to capitalize on their clinical expertise in higher-functioning roles.
• Automation tools increase accuracy and consistency in data entry.  
• Automation reduces waste by allowing for paperless processing.
• Automation helps providers connect with patients, who are encouraged to be more involved in their care.

[GUIDE] How Automation Can Hack Your Office's Productivity

Best-Practice Processes to Automate

Automating these five processes can transform RCM and workflow management.

• Accounts Payable.  Physicians are faced with the challenge of maximizing revenue while providing the best possible care.  Resources have to be used as efficiently as possible.  Automating accounts payable can help administrators do more with less and engage effectively with vendors.  Staff who manage accounts payable frequently contend with issues such as resolving matching errors and handling exceptions, entering data manually, keeping track of or effectively processing invoices, and accurately predicting liabilities.  Many practices are using technology that is five years behind that of other industries.  Automation lowers labor costs, since fewer employees are needed to manage invoice processing and related tasks.  Staff are better able to take advantage of early-payment discounts and avoid late fees.  Without automation, processing an invoice can take 25-60 days.  With up-to-date technology, processing can be accomplished in 2-5 days.  Real-time access to information enables administrators to quickly spot and address data discrepancies to make revenue management more efficient.
• Auto-filing.  Keeping documents organized can be a challenge, especially if data is kept on a limited number of computers or stored in hard copy format.  Auto-filing is a cloud-based method by which providers can securely store information.  On-site file storage could be seriously jeopardized by floods or fires.  Auto-filing reduces your risk if a natural disaster strikes.  According to the Paperless Office Project, it costs $122 to locate a missing document.  Auto-filing ensures that information will be available when you need it and allows you to index documents under multiple attributes so they can be retrieved instantly.    
• Auto-Populating Forms.  Self-populating forms save time and minimize data entry errors in processing claims.  They also expedite provider credentialing, which often involves providing the same information on multiple forms.  Auto-population enhances the documentation integrity of patient health records, which is especially important in light of HIE, meaningful use standards, and new payment paradigms.
• Faxing.  Transmitting sensitive health information via paper-based fax machines poses serious security risks.  Patient records may be sent to the wrong number or the fax machine could be located in a non-secure area.  Many practices hire additional employees when trying to use out-dated faxing technologies with EHRs, just to manage faxing transactions.  Automated faxing can be integrated with EHRs without the need for extra staff. 
• Task Creation.  Data availability in real-time allows processes to be monitored and improved as needed.  Automated platforms collect information on how systems are working and use that information to incorporate improvements.  Thus, the system becomes more efficient and accurate over time, optimizing staff performance.    

Technology alone will not enable you to accomplish your financial and administrative objectives.  It's critical to get staff on board, educating them about the need for change and equipping them with the tools and training to successfully implement it.  Doing so will optimize outcomes for everyone on your healthcare team.

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