Top Healthcare Automation Tips for Practice Productivity

There is no industry or profession untouched by automation. For many years, automation was heralded as a game changer in manufacturing and other sectors that could leverage robotics to automate repetitive tasks. Now, with AI, machine learning, and integrated software solutions hosted in the cloud, where data is readily accessible, automation is changing the way nearly everyone does business.
Healthcare automation is no different. For many healthcare practices, front office and administrative tasks are time-consuming, labor-intensive, and, often, pull staff away from other aspects of practice management that impact patient care and experience. In contrast, practices that are leveraging automation tools are seeing productivity boosts, improved RCM, enhanced patient care and experience, and more.

Quick Links:

• What is Healthcare Automation?
• How Healthcare Automation is Assisting Practices with Productivity
• How Healthcare Automation is Assisting Practices with Revenue Cycle Management
• Top Healthcare Automation Tips for Your Healthcare Practice

What is Healthcare Automation?

Healthcare automation, by definition, is the use of technology to perform tasks that traditionally require human intervention. From administrative functions like scheduling, billing, and claims processing to more complex activities such as patient data management, electronic health record (EHR) maintenance, and even elements of clinical decision-making, automation has changed the healthcare profession.

At its core, healthcare automation leverages artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), advanced data analytics, and in some cases, robotics to improve the delivery, efficiency, and accuracy of healthcare services.

These technologies often help healthcare professionals handle repetitive and time-consuming tasks, allowing them to focus on more critical aspects of patient care. For instance, AI algorithms can analyze vast amounts of patient data to identify patterns and predict outcomes, thereby assisting clinicians in making informed decisions. Similarly, process automations, like automated insurance verification, can help speed up administrative processes that can be both tedious and drain staff time.

The integration of automation in healthcare also extends to patient interaction and experience. Automated systems can enhance patient engagement through personalized communication, appointment scheduling, streamlined and simplified payments, and follow-up care instructions.

Further, automation can play a pivotal role in ePrescribing through integrated drug guides and features that autofill not only common drug pairings but also local pharmacy information.

And, when it comes to managing patient records, automation tools can help ensure data is accurately captured, stored, and easily accessible, which is crucial for maintaining continuity of care and improving clinical outcomes.

Overall, healthcare automation represents a transformative shift in how healthcare organizations operate. These technologies not only provide greater operational efficiency, but they also reduce costs and, ultimately, deliver higher quality care to patients.

How Healthcare Automation is Assisting Practices with Productivity

Productivity is key for healthcare organizations, but the trick for providers is to ensure that patient care comes first and efficiency measures don’t sacrifice the patient experience to get more done. Therein lies the challenge. Whether it’s short staffing or trying to not add to overhead costs, productivity is an ongoing struggle.

In fact, in 2023, over 65% of healthcare practices reported they were struggling to meet productivity goals. Just 20% were headed to exceeding expectations, roughly 50% were on target, and 33% were expecting to fall short of their goals. These numbers are similar to 2022 results as well, suggesting it’s an ongoing problem.

When we factor in turnover rates ranging from 30-40%, it’s easy to see why practices are struggling. But this is precisely why automation can be such a huge factor, especially for smaller practices, where one software solution can save your staff enough time to account for another full-time employee.

Healthcare automation boosts productivity by handling time-consuming daily tasks, freeing up your staff to focus on patient care and experience. Here are just a few of the productivity boosts provided by automation and automated software:

• Patient Scheduling - Scheduling systems handle appointment bookings, reminders, and rescheduling, reducing administrative workload and minimizing no-shows. Similarly, automated insurance verification can make sure the entire schedule has been verified and help healthcare providers ensure insurance benefits are maximized.
• Medical Billing and Claims Processing - Automation in billing and claims processing ensures accurate charge capture, invoice generation, and submission of insurance claims, reducing errors and speeding up the revenue cycle.
• Patient Registration and Check-in- Automated check-in kiosks and online registration forms streamline patient intake, reducing wait times and improving patient experience.
• Electronic Health Records (EHR) Management - Automated EHR systems capture, store, and organize patient data, ensuring accuracy and easy access. This enhances both clinical decision-making and continuity of care.
• Medication Management - ePrescribing helps reduce ADEs (Adverse Drug Events)  while also boosting medication adherence. Similarly, automated refills and reminders can help patients stay on top of medications improving patient outcomes. 
• Clinical Documentation - Voice recognition and AI-assisted documentation help clinicians record patient interactions quickly and accurately, freeing up time for patient care.
• Appointment Reminders and Follow-ups - Reminder systems send notifications via text, email, or phone to patients about upcoming appointments, follow-up visits, and preventive care, improving attendance rates.
• Lab Test Ordering and Results Reporting - Automated systems streamline the ordering of lab tests and the reporting of results directly into the EHR, reducing turnaround times and improving communication between labs and healthcare providers.
• Patient Communication and Engagement - Automated communication platforms facilitate ongoing patient engagement through personalized messages, educational content, and satisfaction surveys.
• Inventory Management - Automation tools track inventory levels, manage supplies, and reorder stock as needed, ensuring healthcare facilities have the necessary materials on hand without overstocking.
• Data Analytics and Reporting-Commentary - Practice analytics tools analyze both patient and practice data, like provider utilization. These tools generate insights, and produce reports that inform clinical and operational decision-making, enhancing care quality and efficiency.
• Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) - Automation in RCM handles tasks such as charge capture, claim submission, denial management, and payment posting, enhancing financial performance.

As it’s clear, these tasks would typically require human intervention, tying up valuable resources who can, with automation, instead focus on patient care and the patient experience.

How Healthcare Automation is Assisting Practices with Revenue Cycle Management

As noted above, healthcare automation can transform Revenue Cycle Management by streamlining processes, reducing errors, and accelerating financial operations.

To start, one of the most critical areas where automation is making a difference is in the accurate capture and processing of charges. With tools like automated coding assistance, healthcare staff can meticulously record services provided, ensuring that all billable activities are accounted for and accurately coded. This reduces the risk of underbilling and ensures healthcare practices capture the maximum revenue possible.

Included in those healthcare billing and claims automations is, of course, claims processing. Automated billing software can prepare and submit claims to insurers with high precision, significantly reducing the likelihood of claim denials due to errors or missing information.

Furthermore, these systems can track the status of claims in real time, providing immediate alerts for any issues that might require attention. This proactive approach not only speeds up the reimbursement process but also minimizes delays and disruptions in cash flow.

Denial management is also greatly enhanced through automation. Advanced RCM systems can automatically identify and analyze patterns in claim denials, offering insights into common issues and suggesting corrective actions. If the appeals process is also automated, systems can resubmit corrected claims swiftly, ensuring practices recover revenue that might otherwise be lost. This cycle helps healthcare practices maintain a healthy revenue stream and avoid the pitfalls of repeated claim denials.

Finally, automation in RCM extends to patient billing and payment processes. Automated billing systems generate and send out patient invoices promptly, and integrated payment portals as well as digital payment systems allow patients to settle their bills easily online.

This not only improves the patient experience by offering convenient payment options but also accelerates the collection process, reducing the time and resources spent on chasing outstanding payments. Automated reminders for overdue accounts can further enhance collections by prompting timely payments and reducing the incidence of bad debt.

For many practices, financial performance hinges on the ability to ensure swift payments and improve cash flow. Automated tools enhance the accuracy, efficiency, and speed of financial operations. By integrating these advanced technologies, healthcare administrators and practice managers can optimize their revenue cycles, ensure a steady cash flow, and focus more on delivering high-quality care rather than managing financial complexities.

Top Healthcare Automation Tips for Your Healthcare Practice

Integrating automation into your healthcare practice can significantly enhance efficiency, reduce administrative burden, and improve patient care. Here are some top tips for successfully implementing healthcare automation, particularly when integrating with practice management software:

Start with a Clear Healthcare Automation Strategy

Before diving into automation, it’s crucial to have a well-defined strategy. Start by assessing your practice’s specific needs and identify the areas where automation will have the most significant impact.

For many practices, insurance verification, scheduling, billing, patient communications, and data management are all big opportunities that deliver the greatest ROI. Having a clear plan will help you prioritize which processes to automate first and ensure a smooth integration with your practice management software.

Choose the Right Practice Management Software and the Right Automation Software

Chances are you’ve already selected practice management software, afterall, it’s essential for your practice. If you haven’t, look for software that offers robust features and integrates seamlessly with other systems you use.

The key piece of healthcare automation is finding software that easily integrates with existing systems. Your practice management system serves as the backbone of your automation efforts, so finding a healthcare workflow platform that works with existing systems is the key to streamlining both administrative and clinical tasks.

Leverage Patient Self-Service Options and Streamline Their Experience

Empowering patients to manage their own appointments and access their health information can significantly reduce the administrative burden on your staff. Integrate patient portals and online scheduling tools with your practice management software to allow patients to book appointments, fill out forms, request prescription refills, and view their medical records online.

Leverage existing payment solutions, such as digital wallets, and simplify payments with HIPAA secure SMS messaging to increase convenience for patients as well. These tools not only enhance patient satisfaction but also free up your staff to focus on more complex tasks.

Automate Healthcare Billing and Revenue Cycle Management

Claims, billing, and RCM are critical areas where automation can make a significant difference. Automated billing systems can ensure accurate charge capture, generate invoices, and submit claims to insurers with minimal human intervention. This reduces the likelihood of errors and claim denials while speeding up the reimbursement process and improving cash flow. Additionally, automated reminders for overdue payments can help maintain a healthy revenue stream.

Utilize AI-Powered Data Analytics for Strategic Planning and Growth

AI-powered data analytics can provide valuable insights into your practice’s operations and patient care. When integrated with your practice management software and automation tools, you can carefully monitor KPIs, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions. For example, AI can analyze patient data to predict no-shows and optimize scheduling, or it can highlight patterns in billing errors to improve revenue cycle management. These insights can help you continuously refine and enhance your practice’s efficiency and effectiveness.

Train Your Staff to Use Automation Tools

Successful integration of automation requires your staff be well-trained and comfortable with the new systems. One workflow and productivity bottleneck prevalent in practices today is staff who are only trained on one aspect of patient administration or the tools to complete tasks. Training in automation tools, like coding support for example, means more versatile members of your team and greater productivity.

Providing comprehensive training is a great start, but leaders should also encourage a culture of continuous learning and improvement, where staff members are proactive in identifying further opportunities for automation and optimization. 

Monitor and Optimize Your Healthcare Automation Tools

Your job isn’t done after implementing automation. While education is ongoing, it’s also important to continuously monitor the performance and impact of automation tools on your practice.

Use reporting and analytics to track efficiency gains, error rates, patient satisfaction, and financial performance. Regularly review this data to identify areas for further improvement and optimization. This iterative approach ensures your practice continues to benefit from automation in the long term.

Healthcare administration isn’t easy in the best of situations, but whether you’re under staffed, short staffed, or just trying to make the most of a small but mighty team, automation can make a huge difference in performance.

If you’re ready to see an automation platform built with healthcare needs in mind, reach out to the iCoreConnect team today and book a demo. We’re ready and waiting to help you with the healthcare automation tools that will boost productivity, enhance patient experience, and improve your bottom line.