We talk a lot about the gaps in healthcare: the inefficiencies between systems and silos, people, and processes, that make it more difficult than it should be to get things done. Never has healthcare efficiency been more important. The key to operating during these lean times is to pair technology solutions with a business model that maximizes effectiveness and reduces manual, tedious tasks. Adding automation as a solution allows hospitals and health systems to scale up “bots” rather than scale down employees. The following are ways in which automation is being used to #bridgethegaps and improve cost efficiencies:
EHR Data Migration
Don’t fall into the trap of manual data entry that may be suggested by your EHR vendor. The constant toggling back and forth between disparate systems only creates unnecessary chaos for clinicians and staff, not to mention the ongoing support fees of maintaining two systems. Bring over all of the data you need, and have it available in the new EHR, from day one. We’ve worked with every EHR system. Through our unique approach to migration we can bring over data that others simply can’t, such as appointments, patient histories, surgical preference cards, and more. Our Active Data Quality (ADQ) process ensures only clean data with no duplication is migrated to the new system, reducing the need for manual checks. The result is one complete and accurate patient record, eliminating the overwhelming cost and chaos of manual data entry.
COVID-19 Reporting
COVID-19 reporting requirements seem to change daily. Required data elements stem from a provision in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and must be submitted in accordance with the definitions and formats specified by the federal government. Every lab that performs or analyzes a test to detect COVID-19, or diagnoses a possible case of COVID-19, must report the results to state or local public health departments. Testing sites must report data for all diagnostic and screening testing completed, which includes molecular, antigen, and antibody testing, for each individual tested. New HHS regulations aim to increase the reporting of important data elements, (e.g., patient age and residence zip code) to inform COVID-19 control and mitigation efforts. Whether reporting to HHS, CDC, HIEs, public health agencies, or patients, Boston WorkStation can be implemented quickly and easily, in most cases in less than 10 days! Automating lab result reporting will free up your most valuable resource: people.
Revenue Cycle Efficiency
Automation has the power to streamline and improve revenue cycle performance and lower operational costs by taking unnecessary manual entry tasks out of the mix. This allows staff to focus on more meaningful work. We’re the leader in healthcare-specific automations. They’re implemented quickly (usually in < 30 days), scalable, affordable (no continuing subscription fees), and accurately process large volumes of data in hundreds of applications, every day. This type of automation is perfectly suited for:
- Benefit & Eligibility Checks
- Prior Authorization Management
- Claims Denial Management
- Medicare Claims Management
- Vendor Contract Management
- Performance Reporting
We can capture any interaction, tie it to the patient record, and make it immediately accessible across the entire health system. This allows you to realize a quick ROI, and lay a strong foundation for the use of automation in other areas of the organization. Workflow automation is not about creating robots to replace humans, it’s about empowering people so they can turn their focus to patients rather than paperwork.
Telehealth
According to CMS Administrator Seema Verma, more than 9 million Medicare beneficiaries used telehealth during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic. Our client, Telescope Health, went from a high-touch, low-volume, concierge telemedicine service to seeing upwards of 7,000 patients within a 6-week period. Lab orders went from a mere 30 per day, skyrocketing upwards to 600 per day, slowing the registration and order entry process, and making their manual process impossible to sustain. The Telescope Health team was working 20 hours a day, in three shifts, registering and processing patients online and at mobile testing sites, which were set up in coordination with Baptist Health and the City of Jacksonville. With the addition of a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) workflow, they decreased the need for FTEs to one floating FTE, and improved their overall error rates:
“One of the challenges with our manual process has been integrating data from external systems back to our internal system. The original process resulted in a high error rate that caused additional manual work for our integration team. After our implementation with Boston Software Systems, 85% of our data entry process is being done by automation and our overall error rate for integration has dropped by 70%.”
– Billy Burns, Senior Solutions and Strategy Officer at Telescope Health
Healthcare Organizations around the world are turning to Boston Software Systems, to become more agile in the face of increased demand and changing environments. Scaling up Robotic Process Automation (RPA) can prevent the need to scale down employees. It causes no disruption to the overarching infrastructure, systems, or workflow, and can be implemented fast (most in < 30 days), providing a quick ROI. So, during this time of reduced staffing, work-from-home, and second wave preparation, work smarter, not harder.
Why Boston Software Systems?
Boston Software Systems has been ensuring RPA projects remain on track since 1985. Give us a call. Bridge the gaps with a proven business model that maximizes effectiveness and reduces manual, tedious tasks across the healthcare ecosystem.
For more information on how we can help your organization navigate the healthcare automation landscape, contact us at: 866-653-5105 or visit us at www.bostonsoftwaresystems.com.