Automation in Healthcare - Intro

Automation in healthcare:
Introduction
Automation in healthcare involves the use of different software that promotes
efficiency in the provision of medical services. This technology employs modern
techniques and tools for efficiency reasons. They help monitor safety, security, and
the health status of your loved one from home
Automated processes excel at managing the massive amount of data in EHRs.
Collecting the data is just part of automation in healthcare, however. Healthcare
professionals can use patient records to train AI applications, understand
patient population data, conduct patient research, and improve care.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, technology had been changing the delivery of
healthcare around the world. Today, automation and AI are having a profound impact on
healthcare processes at all stages of the patient process: scheduling, clinical
assessment, diagnosis, prescriptions, follow-up care, and billing.
Doctors, hospitals, and researchers use automation to lower costs and improve the
quality of care, as well as to aid in analyzing patient and operations data. Automation, AI,
and machine learning are all well-suited to handling vast quantities of data and
managing repetitive tasks.
As with any powerful tool, however, automation in healthcare is highly
complex. Healthcare administrators and executives must be educated in how
automation interfaces with the industry to make the best use of technology and
understand the challenges that it entails.
If they are to be successful in the 21st century, healthcare leaders must be prepared to
take advantage of automation trends.
Benefits of healthcare
automation in administration
Healthcare leaders already know that automation works. According to healthcare
industry research organization CAQH, the industry has reduced administrative costs by
$122 billion as a result of automation and could save an additional $16 billion by fully
automating some common tasks. Implementing automation in healthcare will likely be
the first responsibility of new healthcare administrators as they are tasked with lowering
costs, improving care quality, and using data analysis to support decision-making
The following are some of the administrative benefits of automation in healthcare:
1. Patient billing and scheduling

Robotic process automation (RPA) can handle administrative tasks around the clock,
allowing staff to focus on pressing tasks that require decision-making and leadership
skills. Claims, billing, and scheduling tasks that can be automated can streamline
processes, improve billing and revenue, and enhance patient management. In addition,
automation can manage patient intake and scheduling, all of which leaves staff free to
make sure patients get the care they need.
2. Staff support
The COVID-19 pandemic put a strain on healthcare facilities around the globe. Providers
soon saw the need to protect their staff. They established hotlines — automated triage
screening tools that let patients self-triage and took the work off of nurses and staff.
Some hospitals used trained AI tools to identify pneumonia in COVID-19 patients. These
and other uses of automation in healthcare were designed to support staff and help
prevent burnout.
3. EHRs
When former President Barack Obama signed the Affordable Care Act into law in 2010,
it mandated the adoption of electronic health records (EHRs). More than 10 years later,
EHRs have provided healthcare leaders with a treasure trove of actionable data that is
improving care. Automated processes excel at managing the massive amount of data in
EHRs. Collecting the data is just part of automation in healthcare, however. Healthcare
professionals can use patient records to train AI applications, understand patient
population data, conduct patient research, and improve care. IT specialists must clean
the data before it can be analyzed and made useful.
4. Patient communications
Chatbots answer patient questions and schedule appointments. Using natural language
processing (NLP) capabilities, AI can conduct surveys and analyze responses.
Automation in healthcare helps providers meet patients where they are and make it
easier to access care.
5. Data security and blockchain

Blockchain uses encryption and other security measures to store data and link it in a
way that enhances security and usability. Together with automation in healthcare,
blockchain is a powerful technology that has changed how healthcare leaders use
medical and patient data to gain insights and improve care and delivery.
6. Dashboard analytics
One of the main responsibilities of health administrators is measuring and improving
operational efficiencies. Healthcare dashboards are one of the most powerful tools for
healthcare providers to visualize data to understand their key performance indicators

(KPIs) and help guide decision-making. A healthcare dashboard can allow insurers to
understand claims data, providers to better see clinical data, and hospitals to track
resource allocation.
Improving patient outcomes

through automation
Healthcare providers are using automation in healthcare to meet goals such as reducing
medical errors and improving diagnostic capabilities. They can also use it to help
improve patient compliance. For example, researchers and technology providers have
trained AI to identify COVID-19 symptoms and spot cancers, not to replace clinicians but
to help them deliver care.
7. Reduced potential for medical errors

According to a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information,
“about 400,000 hospital patients experience some type of preventable harm each year,”
with the cost of medical errors ranging between $4 billion and $20 billion annually.
Health technology startups have created AI applications to help prevent deaths by error;
for instance, technology can analyze EHR data to flag unusual prescriptions.
8. Augmented reality
Augmented reality (AR) uses 3D modeling and visualization to support doctors in
diagnoses, surgery, and other procedures. AR applications run on tablets and phones,
making them accessible to all healthcare professionals.

9. Enhanced clinical decision support and
diagnosis
One of the biggest benefits of automation in healthcare is that it can enhance clinical
decisions and support evidence-based practice, which combines the use of research
with clinical practice to identify best practices in diagnosis and treatment. AI that has
been trained on massive datasets can speed up research and diagnoses. Doctors use
AI to support their treatment decisions, augmenting rather than replacing their expertise.
10. IoT
Smartwatches, wearable medical devices, and smart thermometers are just some of the
ways that providers are delivering healthcare outside of a clinic or hospital. These
devices collect data on pulse and blood pressure, heart activity, and temperature to
identify illness and disease clusters. Using automation to gather this data for analysis is
the promise of the internet of things (IoT). As with EHRs, healthcare leaders must be
aware of the data security concerns surrounding IoT.
Automation in healthcare: Facing

the challenges
In addition to all of the benefits, healthcare leaders need to understand the challenges
brought on by the adoption of automation in healthcare. As such, they must have a solid
grounding in these issues, as well as the advantages, so they can meet and overcome
these challenges. Some include:
 Data security and patient privacy issues: Successful adoption of healthcare

automation is based on using patient data, which must be kept private and
secure.
 Resistance from staff and doctors: Office staff may fear their jobs are in
jeopardy when administrative tasks are automated. Clinicians may feel their
years of experience are no longer needed when AI is used in reading scans and
making diagnoses.
 Mistrust: Patients (as well as some healthcare providers) may not trust an
automated treatment plan.
 High cost: Depending on the automation system, implementing AI in healthcare
can be expensive and may require extensive staff training.

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Automation in healthcare:

healthcare processes at all stages of the patient process: scheduling, clinical

assessment, diagnosis, prescriptions, follow-up care, and billing.

managing repetitive tasks.

As with any powerful tool, however, automation in healthcare is highly

complex. Healthcare administrators and executives must be educated in how

understand the challenges that it entails.

take advantage of automation trends.

automating some common tasks. Implementing automation in healthcare will likely be

The following are some of the administrative benefits of automation in healthcare:

1. Patient billing and scheduling

make sure patients get the care they need.

EHRs. Collecting the data is just part of automation in healthcare, however. Healthcare

professionals can use patient records to train AI applications, understand patient

the data before it can be analyzed and made useful.

processing (NLP) capabilities, AI can conduct surveys and analyze responses.

easier to access care.

5. Data security and blockchain

healthcare providers to visualize data to understand their key performance indicators

Improving patient outcomes

to help them deliver care.

7. Reduced potential for medical errors

making them accessible to all healthcare professionals.

aware of the data security concerns surrounding IoT.

Automation in healthcare: Facing

these challenges. Some include:

 Data security and patient privacy issues: Successful adoption of healthcare

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