RPA + AI
Getting serious about cutting costs in healthcare makes Intelligent Automation mandatory.
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In order to achieve the process efficiencies necessary to drive down the overall cost of healthcare, both payors and providers will need to strategically implement Intelligent Automation.
- Cut out high-volume, low-value, repetitive tasks to maximize potential and productivity in human labor
- Enable better clinical outcomes and better experiences for patients and providers alike
- An “Automation First” approach lays the groundwork necessary for an effective digital workforce and future cognitive capabilities
Lowering the Cost of Care with RPA
RPA and Intelligent Automation tools make it possible to reduce eight hours of repetitive, low-value work performed by a human to just a few minutes of a software bot’s time. For admin staff, that means more attention to complex tasks that require subjective reasoning, such as exception management. For clinical staff, it’s time that can be repurposed and dedicated to higher-value work like patient care and advocacy. In healthcare, this ability to have everyone working at the top of their credentials can make a critical difference.
A $70 Billion Difference
Automated healthcare solutions can deliver a 2% reduction in annual national health expendituresi — Put another way, intelligent automation can save $214 per person, per year in the US, or $70 billion per year out of the total $3.5 trillion we spend on healthcareii.
In an industry where net profits are in the low single-digit percentages, adding 2% to net profit represents a significant impact. When payors are held to strict MLR ratios and hospital systems struggle to recoup costs on premiums and RVU’s, even tenths of a percent matter.
Better for Patients, Better for Providers
The average physician now spends at least half their time managing data in the electronic health record and other systemsiii —a development that is directly credited with record-setting rates of physician burnoutiv. RPA tools capable of removing these kinds of repetitive and mundane data entry activities in all areas of patient interaction can work to create more opportunity for personal attention to the patient and significantly lower the risk of provider burnout.
What’s more, beyond just increasing the bandwidth of care providers, intelligent automation in healthcare can also directly contribute to better patient experience and outcomes in meaningful and measurable ways. One study found that increased automation of medical records and documentation in hospital stays led to a 15% decrease in the odds of in-patient deathsv.
Simply put, the thoughtful application of RPA in healthcare has the opportunity to make our shared goals of lower cost, better outcomes and improved experience for everyone a reality.
Automation First, AI Next
The shift to intelligent automation coincides with healthcare’s eagerness to take full advantage of the promise of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies. For many, RPA serves as a necessary/less intimidating first step toward true AI. Once the smaller, more routine parts of a task or workflow are running autonomously, the addition of AI technology can be integrated to deliver more complex, cognitive automation.
In addition to our collective experiences and expertise on implementing process-oriented data solutions (Data Integration, MDM and Data Governance), Amitech also leverages a strategic partnership with UiPath – the leading enterprise RPA software company – when implementing intelligent automation solutions. Together, we support an “Automation First” strategy that augments the human workforce to drive maximum productivity and efficiency. Specifically, Amitech can extend RPA with supporting technologies that round out the toolset needed to build an effective digital workforce.
Developing the Digital Workforce
Humans have always used tools to enhance our lives and capabilities. This new wave of Automation + AI bears many similarities to the Industrial Revolution era where rapid development and the resulting economic changes replaced traditionally manual labor with machine automation. The key for businesses that thrived then and now is to figure out how automation can enhance the work of humans and provide a superior and more fulfilling work experience that is better suited to our strengths. In this way, digital labor can be used to augment human work and create space for companies to develop a competitive advantage beyond automation.
A Proven Path Forward
Intelligent automation has the potential to alter how work is done and create game-changing results. To meet that potential, organizations have to build a strong foundation capable of supporting transformative, enterprise-wide change. Amitech’s three-step implementation roadmap will enable you to deliver RPA at scale and manage your digital workforce systematically to increase your likelihood of success.
| Explore | Adopt | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Start with a bold ambition to use RPA + AI across the organization | Gain IT buy-in on RPA platform | Implement end-to-end Enterprise-level Intelligent Automation |
| Workshop a use case for pilot by focusing on a departmental process | Engage your front-line to do automation with and for your workforce | Create Program-level governance, measurement and operational capabilities |
| Get your C-suite on-board with a thoughtful business case | Invest in defining the details and finding a partner who can help you scale | Establish a responsive support organization for intelligent automation |
| Start to think about governance and management of bots | Become agile to adopt transformative components that take full advantage of RPA and the digital workforce |
Getting Started is Half the Battle
As is true of most emerging technologies, fear of the unknown in terms of potential impact and value tends to give business leaders pause. But considering the relatively low barrier to entry, incremental scalability and ROI –short and long-term– of intelligent automation in healthcare and otherwise, it’s a better-than-average bet. Please contact us today for more information about our RPA QuickStart and how we can help you leverage RPA tools to help you get ahead of the competition –and stay there.
NOTES:
- https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare-systems-and-services/our-insights/the-era-of-exponential-improvement-in-healthcare
- https://www.cms.gov/research-statistics-data-and-systems/statistics-trends-and-reports/nationalhealthexpenddata/nationalhealthaccountshistorical.html
- https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/ehrs/primary-care-physicians-spend-more-time-on-ehr-than-face-to-face-care-study-suggests.html
- https://www.aafp.org/news/practice-professional-issues/20190116ehrstudy.html
- https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/texas-hospital-study-points-benefits-automation?single-page=true
