Deploying Bots in Healthcare to Find Revenue Cycle Improvements

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Administration
• Health Informatics
• Process Improvement

Background:

• Healthcare organizations face persistent pressure to "do more with less."
• Postpandemic challenges exacerbate issues like staff retention, labor inflation, and declining financial margins.
• Existing efficiency tactics have provided improvements but haven't fully met ongoing demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the initial steps and lessons learned in implementing robotic process automation (RPA) within an integrated delivery network.
• To highlight the dual application of RPA in both digital front-door (patient-facing) and back-end (financial services) operations.
• To position RPA as a key strategy for enhancing revenue cycle management and demonstrating technological value.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of digital front-door RPA for patient self-registration, authorizations, and insurance verification.
• Deployment of back-end RPA to replace and enhance existing patient financial services technology.
• Focus on revenue cycle management as a primary area for RPA value demonstration.

Main Results:

• The integrated delivery network initiated both front-end and back-end RPA projects concurrently.
• RPA implementation targets patient financial services and administrative processes within the revenue cycle.
• The revenue cycle team is responsible for showcasing the tangible benefits of RPA adoption.

Conclusions:

• Robotic process automation (RPA) offers a viable solution to ongoing healthcare efficiency demands.
• A multi-faceted RPA approach, encompassing both patient-facing and back-end processes, is being explored.
• Lessons learned from the initial implementation phases are crucial for successful, scalable RPA deployment in healthcare.