“To save and improve lives, technology has huge potential so long as it is properly harnessed by our health and care system.” (Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care)
Automation is undoubtedly one of the technologies that has the capability to benefit delivery of healthcare services. With ever increasing pressures on budgets and resources, advancements such as automation could enable healthcare service providers to refine and enhance their current services by cutting costs, reducing admin and menial tasks and ultimately also saving lives.
No matter the size of your organisation, automation can play a part in healthcare service delivery. Generally areas that benefit most are around administration and the collection and analysis of data – this in no way serves to replace healthcare jobs but aims to free up expert resources from routine admin. Let’s dive deeper into how automation can benefit both your operations and customer experience.
The benefits of automation for the delivery of healthcare services
Cutting costs and increasing profitability for healthcare providers
While introducing automation technologies are costly to implement, research shows how quickly this investment is recuperated. A study by the TaxPayers Alliance estimates that the NHS could save £12.5 billion a year in staff costs through automation and the social care industry could make a £5.9 billion saving. The study also states that automation could similarly save taxpayers themselves approximately £17 billion a year.
In some cases, automation might simply mean moving from paper to digital records. For more sophisticated users, automation could be fed into the revenue cycle management systems to increase clinic profitability. For private healthcare providers, reducing costs and improving efficiency would directly increase profits.
Automated appointment scheduling reducing administrative tasks
Perhaps the most well known example of automation within healthcare provision is automated appointment software. While there are clear benefits for patients, automated appointment scheduling has benefits for healthcare providers too. Not only does it reduce precious staff time on administrative tasks, allowing them to add value to patients in other areas, it also reduces no show appointments. If patients have the ability to configure their own appointment booking, as well as receive automated reminders via email and text, there will be fewer absences, saving the practice time and money.
Over time automation could help clinics to create more effective schedules. Clinic staff can analyse and report on patient data more accurately and use this data to further improve processes.
Streamlining clinical processes
Similarly, the sheer amount of administrative work required of healthcare professionals in other areas can be heavily reduced by automation.
If clinicians no longer need to allocate time to inputting and analysing patient information, shift management, compliance and inventory checks then this portion of their working day could be used on more suitable skilled tasks and patient care. This reduction in repetitive tasks could also lead to greater job satisfaction and less stress and burnout.
In this way, far from risking healthcare jobs, automation could also help to address staff shortages, allowing clinicians to see more patients both in hospital and remotely.
Increased security and reduced error
Errors in medical processes are often put down to clerical errors due to fatigue or loss of concentration. Automated, digital processes are proven to significantly reduce errors. Automating updates also gives healthcare professionals even more access to data than ever before, thereby improving patient care.
Data protection regulations such as GDPR and HIPAA continue to evolve and underline the importance of cyber security to maintain the privacy of patient information. AI and automation can detect abnormal behaviour and identify security vulnerabilities, ensuring that data remains in the hands of those that need to use it.
Better patient experience
Arguably the most important outcome of the delivery of healthcare services is the patient experience.
Automation has the potential to touch so many moments in a patients’ healthcare experience. From scheduling an online appointment and receiving an automated reminder with useful information before their appointment to online follow-up care, the whole treatment process can be made far smoother for patients.
The bottom line is that automation means that patients receive higher levels of tailored, personalised care, and it improves the lives of healthcare workers. Automation will never replace the importance of skilled, human care from health professionals; it is, however, a fantastic tool that can be used to complement it.
Want to find out how you can automate your appointment processes in your clinic or practice? Get in touch with one of the team to discuss how you can implement OX Virtual Hospital into your processes.
