Three automation myths standing in the way of better patient care – MedCity News

Automation has already made its mark in various aspects of business, including sales and customer service operations, and more innovation is expected in the coming years. But automation technologies often face a variety of challenges before healthcare organizations can implement and use them effectively.

In this industry, for automation to carry out its potential to save burned-out providers massive amounts of time, deliver more advanced patient communications, and streamline and improve medical workflows, we must combat a number of myths.

In many organizations, there can be an initial lack of trust due to a misperception that automation means administrators, clinicians and staff are giving up control to new and untested technology. A good technology solution, however, can offer countless benefits, including saving time, improving accuracy and increasing capacity. Through the adoption and implementation of proper reporting capabilities, the staff can maintain full visibility into the system and remain in control.

In fact, automation has already arrived in healthcare and is generating an extraordinary amount of value to organizations, allowing them to filter out time-consuming, manual tasks and focus more on the meaningful face-to-face work that matters most. As we enter the next decade of automation, it will be adopted by more systems sooner rather than later as advocates become more proficient in debunking three major myths that often tarnish the perception of automation:

Myth No. 1: Automation means handing over controlA common misperception of automated solutions is that they take over 100 percent of the work, leaving decision-makers with a lower level of control and visibility. Automation does take over a significant portion of mundane work, but this can actually help increase visibility. When staff members dont have to spend time with tedious tasks, it frees them up to do more meaningful and rewarding work.

Take automated scheduling as one example. With a system that helps schedule patients automatically via text messaging and also fill empty slots when cancellations arise staff members spend far less time playing phone tag with patients and laboring to keep schedules aligned. More importantly, smart automation solutions give professionals across the organization constant visibility into an up-to-date and accurate view of the clinics capacity and opportunities for filling any gaps. Its an example of how automation provides the foundation for accurate visibility into processes like physical calendars, which can often be plagued by human lag time.

Myth No. 2: Getting staff to buy-in is nearly impossibleIts true that meaningful change can be a hard sell into established processes and workflows, or those with legacy systems in place because theyve always done it that way. But there is one thing automation offers that makes it difficult for anyone to deny: results.

Take referrals, for instance, the foundation that many specialty practices are built on. Manually handling referrals often involve mountains of phone calls and faxes, making it easy to lose track of patients in the shuffle, let alone getting to all the patients in a timely manner. When referral management is automated, manual processing is eliminated. Practices can deal directly with referred patients via interactive text messages that guide them to automatically schedule appointments. Referred patients receive real-time notifications when an appointment is confirmed, and providers have the ability to track their status along the way.

Automating referral management makes the entire process quicker and easier text messages that include a link to schedule an appointment are immediately sent to referred patients reducing the lag time and improving response rates. After implementing such systems, the results become clear immediately: clinics with automatic referral management are able to treat 60 percent more referrals on average.

Myth No. 3: Automation makes care delivery less personalAutomated patient engagement is changing the way care is delivered. Providers can remain in regular contact with patients both before and after appointments and procedures, ensuring theyre on the right path along their care journey. This all happens automatically with custom text messages that require no additional work from physicians, creating the misperception that it makes care delivery somewhat impersonal.

The exact opposite is true. With constant engagement, providers have a better sense of a patients situation well before they step foot in the office. This allows them to have more meaningful appointments and deliver treatments designed specifically for that individual patient. From the patients perspective, this makes receiving care much more personal, because they have been engaging with their provider at every step along the way, not just at an appointment every few weeks or months.

In the end, automation doesnt replace personal engagement, it replaces zero engagement. It turns manual phone calls into automated texts and allows front office staff to focus additional outreach efforts on high-risk patients and provide a more personal and pleasant experience in the office. Physicians are able to tailor and connect with patients across a vastly higher rate of touchpoints, creating more personalized, and ultimately better, care.

Embracing technological shifts requires thoughtful and strategic implementation. In the case of life-saving industries like healthcare, allowing myths to stand in the way of better care can be downright lethal. Automated solutions have proven to streamline clinical processes getting more patients to care faster, optimizing the business of healthcare, and, most importantly, delivering better and more personal care to patients.

Photo: Andranik Hakobyan, Getty Images

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Three automation myths standing in the way of better patient care - MedCity News