The past three years have called attention to massive disorganization in our healthcare system. In an age when nearly everyone is connected digitally in one way or another, the healthcare industry is painfully lagging behind. From EHR implementation to supporting the operational architecture of systems and services, our goal at Boston Software Systems is to connect data, improve efficiencies, and drive operational excellence through a more integrated healthcare experience. By automating repetitive, tedious tasks, we can support clinicians, patients, and administrators, removing the human toll of inefficiency.
Revenue Cycle Efficiencies
Did you know that revenue cycle departments can access as many as 18 different portals when managing claims? Working across multiple, disparate systems (with fewer staff) can leave revenue cycle teams overwhelmed, leading to burnout, inaccuracies, and delays in bottom line revenue. Automation solves productivity drains in the revenue cycle by checking for errors, completing manual tasks, addressing quality control gaps, and reducing the cost to collect. Revenue cycle departments become much more strategic when focusing on strengths, instead of data burden. Costly, labor intensive, error-prone tasks like these are exactly where automation shines, transforming the business of healthcare and taking waste out of the system:
- Benefit and eligibility checks
- Prior authorization management
- Claims management / denial management
- Vendor contract management / contractual analysis
- Collections / payment processing / write-offs / adjustments
Human Resource Efficiencies
COVID-19 pushed hospitals beyond the breaking point, as many operated close to capacity while being understaffed. And things are not getting better. Between 35% and 54% of the U.S. nursing and physician workforce reports suffering burnout. Hospitals are experiencing a record vacancy rate of up to 17%, which is 7.1 points higher than in 2021. There is a constant churn and burn to fill vacancies. By adding automation to the Human Resource department, the administrative burden is quickly reduced. Here’s a partial list of manual administrative tasks that can be made more efficient with automation:
- Candidate screening and associated tasking
- Change management tasks
- Provider credentialing and onboarding
- Payroll management & attendance tracking
- Compliance testing and security reporting
- Travel and expense processing
Telehealth Connectivity
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) established a $200M COVID-19 Telehealth Program to help healthcare providers provide connected care services to patients in response to the pandemic. Long overdue, this allowed patients to access video and audio visits from the privacy of their home or location. In many situations, the lack of connected systems caused more work for healthcare providers. The simple act of registering a patient can require 40+ data entry steps. On the laboratory side, orders need to include consistent, complete information that meets defined standards, otherwise providers are busy patching holes in the ordering process. These processes were made easier with automation. By adding automation, providers were able to see more patients faster, and complete onboarding tasks without spending hours of overtime, or hiring additional FTEs.
Population Health Goals
Much of the data that we use to improve patient outcomes in areas like population health, mental health, and chronic disease management, is locked in disparate systems that don’t inherently work well together. Healthcare organizations are frustrated with the lack of integration in their population health applications because they still require a lot of manual work. Automation is a digital ally to bridge the gaps, and provide a more complete picture of patient health. By inserting automation tools at any point in the process, we can improve the quality and consistency of data, provide greater insights, and work on bettering the health of all patients. With more complete and actionable records, organizations can easily identify areas for improvement, making health equity a priority vs. an afterthought.
Why Boston Software Systems?
Boston Software Systems is the global leader in healthcare-specific RPA solutions. For over 30 years, Boston WorkStation has been creating efficiencies in hundreds of healthcare organizations, technology partner offerings, and provider offices. Boston WorkStation is implemented on-premise, in a hybrid way or in the AWS cloud. Our project teams understand healthcare workflows and exactly how to implement an RPA project for maximum impact and a fast ROI. Our U.S. based customer support is unmatched by any other vendor. Reduce manual data entry tasks. Connect the gaps in healthcare, and remove the human toll of inefficiency, with Boston WorkStation.