How Automation Helps Minimize Workflow Challenges During the COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout

As hospitals and health systems ramp up COVID-19 inoculations, the challenges surrounding them are complex. At Boston Software Systems, we are simplifying the vaccine rollout process for our client hospitals, health systems, and technology partners by automating many of the tasks associated with the vaccine rollout. These are the most frequent automations we are working with clients to implement:

Scheduling and Registration

Organizations are overwhelmed with the sheer number of vaccinations to schedule on a daily basis. Many are staffing FTEs and volunteers to manage the influx of appointments. This requires training and onboarding time, both of which translate into hours and affect multiple downstream processes. Having a digital workforce streamlines the end-to-end process, by uncovering patient groups, verifying, registering, and scheduling appointments, reporting lot numbers of vaccines registered and queueing up second dose follow-ups. RPA can even create an encounter for the second dose at a specified date and time. Hours of manual data manipulation, copy/paste/input are eliminated, freeing up the human staff. An RPA automation can run 24/7, with faster speed, greater accuracy, and no interference with daily workflows.

Regulatory Reporting

Hospitals and health systems have multiple entities for reporting. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) and The Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS) both support planning and execution for temporary, mobile, or satellite COVID-19 vaccination clinics. Variance in reporting metrics alone are overwhelming providers, clinics, and hospital systems. With logistics of the rollout largely left up to each state to navigate, there are workflow constraints and time inefficiencies that can be better managed with automation. We can work with any web portal, website, or application, meeting reporting needs with 100% accuracy and without the need to interrupt human staff.

Reimbursement Efficiency

During the vaccine rollout there are additional issues to keep in mind, like the CARES Act for uninsured patients. Manual processes are difficult to maintain, but automation can step in and review claims to quickly see if coding requirements are met, and resolve small edits when necessary, eliminating delays in getting “dollars in the door.” The issue with AI is the barrier to entry, long implementation time, and the cost to manage the project, limiting the return on such a project.

Supply Chain Management

The efficiency of a supply chain depends on the ability of people to manage and forecast inventory needs. But supply and demand planning right now is overwhelming, with PPE, vaccines, and normal supplies. Manual examination of complex records involves multiple vendors and internal teams. It’s a tedious, error-prone process that is empowered with the use of automation. Easily connect the siloed reporting already in place and reduce the friction across multiple teams. Create a digital infrastructure that ensures accuracy and efficiency and removes the human oversight burden. RPA can help with supply and demand planning, purchase orders, freight management, inventory control, price comparison, and invoice management.

Why Boston Software Systems?

At Boston Software Systems, our exclusive focus is healthcare, and our project managers are experienced healthcare leaders. Let’s spend 30 minutes to uncover what can go live in < 30 days. We are shifting priorities so that organizations can quickly pivot to challenges to meet increased demand. With an overall KLAS vendor score of 90.8, we are a company dedicated to fast implementation timeframes, and excellent customer service.